Grey's Anatomy Season 9 and a Half
by InTheBetween
Summary: A continuation of where season 9 left off. Episodes are Cristina and Owen centric with appearances from the other characters. There will be a new episode every other Thursday, until the season 10 premiere.
1. Chapter 1 Everytime We Say Goodbye

_If my ship sails from sight, it doesn't mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends. ~ Enoch Powell_

Owen wandered the halls in a daze. Had he really lost Cristina all over again? He barely noticed the people around him, as the hospital started to fall back into its usual rhythm, now that the power was back on. All he could feel was pain and confusion. She had broken up with him because she thought he couldn't be happy without a child. He wasn't sure if she didn't understand him at all ... or if she understood him better than he did. And he had no clue about what to do next.

He was shaken out of his reverie by someone slamming into him.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," Callie said, stepping back. "I didn't see you."

He frowned at the tears running down her face. "What's wrong?"

"My ... my ..." she sputtered. "... Excuse me ..." Callie turned and sprinted down the hall.

Owen shook his head and kept walking. His attention was drawn by someone waving frantically at him – Higgins, the chief of Security. Owen braced himself for more bad news and approached the man, who looked shaken.

"Sir ..." The man was agitated. "One of my people ... she went down to the generator room with some of the firefighters, to check on things ... she found the Chief ... Dr. Webber ... sir ..."

Adrenaline flooded through Owen. "What? What was Webber doing there?"

"We think he turned the power back on." The man swallowed. "Sir ... the Chief is dead."

oOoOo

Cristina strode through the halls of the Cardio unit, checking on her patients. She longed to speak with Meredith, but her friend had just been through two surgeries and needed to be with her family. She'd texted Alex and Callie, but they hadn't responded.

Every few minutes, she pulled out her phone and stared at it. It was strange to not have a flirty or funny text from Owen waiting for her. Her fingers itched to send him a message, find out how he was doing. But she knew she must keep her distance, else they'd fall back into the rhythms of avoiding the issues that would certainly keep them apart in the long run.

"Hey Dr. Yang?" Dr Brooks approached her hesitantly. "The Pit is like, super busy, and all of the attendings are like, not around. Do you think you can come down?"

"Yes, Mousy," Cristina said, tucking her phone away. _Work is what I need_.

oOoOo

Barking orders, Owen sprinted through the basement, carrying a defibrillation kit. He was followed by Leah and orderlies pushing a gurney. As they entered the generator room, a security guard pointed them to where Richard Webber was lying on his back. A firefighter was administering CPR to the fallen chief.

Owen quickly placed his fingers on Richard's neck, wincing at the cool flesh. "Does he have a pulse?"

"No sir, we found him lying face down and we started CPR immediately but he hasn't responded," the security guard informed him.

"He was cold when we found him," the firefighter grunted.

Owen opened one of Richard's eyes and shone a flashlight in it. Then he hung his head, and prayed for strength. Quietly, he placed a hand on the firefighter's hands. "You can stop now."

oOoOo

As Cristina went from bed to bed, helping Stephanie prioritize, she wondered at Owen's absence. Was he on the vent? Was he okay?

A commotion in the hallway drew her attention. Stepping outside, Cristina frowned to see the chief of security ashen, comforting one of his guards as she sobbed. Two orderlies were pushing a gurney, on which lay a body under a sheet. One of the orderlies had tears running down his face.

Cristina turned to a grim firefighter, who was carrying his helmet. "What happened?"

"We found one of your doctors in the generator room," he informed her. "Looks like he turned on the power but got electrocuted. Poor guy didn't have a chance."

"Who?"

"They say he was the Chief," the man said.

"Owen?!" Cristina pushed him aside and sprinted after the orderlies. "Let me see him."

She lifted up the sheet and gasped to see Richard Webber.

oOoOo

Owen paced the floor of his favorite conference room. Normally, when he was in a quandary, he could rely on Richard for some advice and support. Now, he was on his own, quite literally.

His thoughts went to Cristina. The Board of Directors needed to be notified ... but he couldn't bear the thought of speaking with her now. His feelings were too raw, he was too vulnerable. If he saw her tonight, he would ... he couldn't imagine what he would do, but it would be painful.

His phone blipped with a message. He flipped through and saw that Nancy had texted him. Shaking his head, Owen put away his phone without reading it. He was happy for Ethan and Nancy, but he also felt kicked in the gut.

"Hell of a night," he muttered, continuing to pace. He wondered where Cristina was.

oOoOo

Cristina was huddled with Arizona and Jackson in his hospital room, as they absorbed Cristina's news.

"He saved us," Arizona said sadly, her eyes filled with tears. "And he died alone."

"We have to tell the staff," Jackson noted. "God ... I have to call my mother ..."

Arizona's phone rang. She looked at it and then at Cristina. "It's Owen."

"Answer it," Cristina told her, crisply. "He knows, the firefighters said he pronounced Richard dead." She turned to Jackson. "We have to tell Bailey before anyone."

"Hello?" Arizona frowned. "Dr. Hunt? I've just heard the terrible news about Dr. Webber ..."

"I just can't believe it." Jackson shook his head.

"Yes, the Board does need to know," Arizona said. "I'm here with Jackson and Cristina. Did you want to speak with her?" She frowned as Cristina immediately shook her head. "I see. Well, um, I don't know where Callie is right now ..."

Jackson looked from Arizona to Cristina. "We also have to tell Derek and Meredith. Look, I'm banged up but I'm not critical. I'm in this."

"Leave this with the Board, Dr. Hunt," Arizona spoke into the receiver. "Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Arizona turned off her phone and exhaled. "Okay. This is awkward. We need to gather the Board together but um, I'm currently not speaking with my wife ..."

"I'll find Callie," Cristina offered. Then she looked chagrined. "Someone else is going to have to do all the talking with Owen. We ... aren't together any more."

"What?" Jackson looked back and forth between the two women. "Okay, we need to focus on Richard right now, but ... _what_?"

"You call your mother," Cristina told him. "I'll go tell Derek and Meredith, and then Callie. Arizona ... please call Owen back. He should be the one to tell Bailey."

"Okay, what can I do after I call my mom?" Jackson sat up and winced.

"Rest!" Arizona wagged a finger at him. "Do you want me to send Stephanie in?"

Slowly, he shook his head.

"April?" Cristina offered.

"No!" Jackson sighed. "Definitely not her."

oOoOo

Waiting in the Pit, Owen glanced at his phone as it buzzed again. He saw that Nancy had sent another message. He sighed and put away the phone. He could see Callie approaching him, with Ben and Bailey following.

"Dr. Hunt?" Bailey looked worried. "Do you know where Dr. Webber is? I've been looking for him."

"I do," he replied, heart sinking. "Why don't we step in here?" He gestured to an open exam room. All four of them entered the room, Callie quietly shutting the door.

"What's wrong?" Bailey felt fear as Owen turned to face her, grim. Ben took her hand.

"I'm very sorry," Owen began. "Dr. Webber ... Richard ... passed away tonight. There was an accident in the generator room after he turned the power back on. I'm so sorry."

Bailey looked to Callie for confirmation. Her friend nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Miranda. Richard is dead."

"What?" Bailey grasped Ben's hand, hard. "Tell me what happened."

"A security guard found him lying dead on the floor," Owen explained, gently. "CPR was started right away but ... he never had a pulse. He was cold. He was surrounded by water and his jacket was burnt ... the firefighters think he was electrocuted. I'm sorry."

Ben gasped and gripped her hand tighter. Miranda Bailey looked down. "Take me to him."

oOoOo

Wearily, Cristina sat down in the board room and stared out the window. Not for the first time, she wondered where Owen was, how he was doing.

Her phone buzzed. She quickly glanced at the screen. Recognizing the name of a Seattle Presbyterian doctor, she quickly pressed "Answer".

oOoOo

Jackson winced as he listened to his mother on the other end of a painful phone call. "I'm so sorry, Mom."

"This is terrible," Catherine gasped. "I ... know that you must ... be telling me the truth ... but it's so unbelievable."

Jackson murmured more condolences into the phone, as she cried. Through the gaps in the curtains around his bed, he could see April hovering, looking guilty.

His mind flashed back to their conversation earlier. When she'd basically asked him to stop her wedding.

"_Don't put this on me,"_ he had told her. "_If you don't want to marry him, don't marry him."_

Stricken, she had fled. Guilt had lashed through him, especially after Stephanie had come in to check on him. Before the awful news about Richard Webber.

"I'll fly out to Seattle as soon as possible," his mother choked out. "I can't ... my poor Richard."

"He was a good man." Jackson hung his head. Of course his mother's relationship with Richard had made for some very uncomfortable moments ... but they had made each other happy. And he was going to miss Richard's sage advice and steady presence. He wondered how the hospital was going to survive without him.

oOoOo

Dressed in his street clothes, Owen waited outside of the morgue with Callie. When his phone blipped again, he grimaced to see another message from Nancy. He turned the device off.

The doors swung open, and Bailey exited. Her face was streaked with tears, and her head was held high.

Somber-faced, Owen walked with Ben and Bailey to the parking lot. She was pre-occupied with her thoughts, keeping her eyes forward as they silently walked. Only when he held her door open for her, did she address him.

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt." She glanced at him, and then away. "You do him proud, okay?"

"I will." He closed the car door and then stepped away, watching them drive away in the rain.

Shaking his head, Owen turned and walked back into the hospital. He could see staff members glancing at him, sorrow on their faces.

Out of the corner of one eye, he saw Cristina approaching him. He would always be able to pick her out of a crowd.

Apprehensively, he waited for her. Her face was a mask, like it always was when she couldn't handle her pain.

"Nancy's been trying to reach you," Cristina said. "You have to return her messages."

He blinked. "Not tonight. I can't ... deal with them tonight."

"You _have_ to." Cristina held up her phone. "Seattle Presbyterian called me, as Paul's doctor. Owen ..." She licked her lips. "Paul had a stroke on arrival. He didn't make it."

Owen visibly sagged, saddened and shocked by another blow on a terrible night.

She lifted a hand as if to touch his arm, to reassure him, then dropped it. "Owen ..." Her eyes filled with tears. "Ethan is in a bad state. You should go to him."

He stared at her. He could tell that it was costing her, to urge him to go to Ethan, and away from her.

"Cristina ..." Owen could only stand there, watching the woman he loved struggling with the situation before them. He knew that if he left ... they really would have no future together. He wished with all of his heart that she would ask him to stay.

"You should go to him," she repeated, before turning and walking away.

Owen watched her leave until she turned a corner, out of sight. Sighing, he pulled out his keys.

oOoOo

"What?" Sleepily, Meredith looked back and forth between Cristina and Derek, certain that she'd heard them wrong. "... Richard?"

Cristina nodded, as Derek rocked his sleeping son. "We would've told you earlier, but you needed your rest."

"Oh my God." Meredith laid back on her pillow and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't fathom the hospital without her father figure.

"The rest of the Board will take care of things, your job is to take it easy and get your strength back," Cristina informed her.

Meredith glanced at her. "How is Owen?"

Cristina looked down at the floor. "He's gone."

oOoOo

The chaplain of Seattle Presbyterian showed Owen to a quiet room, where two familiar people were waiting.

"Dr. Hunt!" Ethan ran towards him, his face anxious. He grabbed Owen's hands.

Owen crouched down in front of him. "I'm so sorry about your dad," he told the boy, gently grasping his shoulders.

Ethan nodded, tears streaking down his freckled face.

"Oh, Dr. Hunt!" Nancy ran to him and into his arms. "I'm so glad you came."

"Call me Owen," he said, hugging her. "What can I do to help?"

"I want to leave," Ethan said. "I never want to see a hospital again."

"Of course." Owen let go of Nancy and cupped Ethan's face. "I'll drive you to the hotel."

"I don't want to go there!" The boy protested, loudly. "I want to go home!"

Nancy hung her head, overwhelmed and exhausted. "Please, Ethan. Not now."

"I'll take him," Owen softly said. The others turned and looked at him. Ethan looked confused while Nancy was weary.

"I'll take him tonight," he clarified. A brief look of hope on Ethan's face encouraged him to speak further. "I'll … take care of Ethan for as long as you need me to."

The boy tentatively smiled while Nancy stared at Owen. "Are you sure?" She frowned. "You're his doctor…"

"I've gotten to know Ethan quite well," he replied. "I … would like to be a friend now, not a doctor. Your friend too."

She looked at Ethan, who was watching them in suspense. "Do you want to go with Dr. – Owen?"

He nodded and wiped a tear from his eyes.

"Okay," she sighed.

oOoOo

Cristina stood on the vent and stared straight ahead, as her hair flew up in the gusts. She felt numb, as if traumatized all over again and needing to hide from the pain lashing her insides.

_What have I done?_ Suddenly she was facing a life that Owen would not be a part of. Intellectually, she had known that she didn't have a future with him. Something inside of him longed for something that she could not give him. She cursed at the unfairness of it all, that her soulmate would never be completely happy with her because he needed to be a parent. But she did not regret giving him the opportunity to find fulfillment. She loved him that much.

"Surgery," she said softly. "I will always have surgery. Surgery gives me joy."

She closed her eyes and tried to recall the thrill she'd felt earlier, feeling around in the dark and saving a life against incredible odds and the rush of knowing she'd become a better doctor. But all she could remember was the look on Owen's face, when he'd first brought her to the very spot she was standing on now. When she had forgotten her troubles and laughed. It was if he was standing in front of her, grinning in the most appealing way, because he had made her happy ...

"What have I done?" Cristina wondered aloud, sinking to the floor and clutching her head.

oOoOo

"What is this place?" Ethan looked up at the firehouse in the dim light. "Is this a real fire station?"

"It's ... where I used to live," Owen sighed, unlocking the front door. "I need to get a sleeping bag from the storeroom, the place I'm staying only has one bed. You can have it."

The boy followed him inside, eyes wide. "Is ... is that a fire pole?" Ethan ran over to it and reverently touched the cool metal. "You have a fire pole?"

"Uh huh." Owen smiled quietly. "You can wait here, I won't be long ..." He stopped talking and watched Ethan sprint up the stairs. Listening to the boy's footsteps, he knew exactly where he was going.

Grinning, Ethan came sliding down on the pole. "This place is cool!"

Owen chuckled. "Yes, yes it is."

"How come there's no furniture?"

Owen coughed. "My ex-wife is trying to sell it."

The boy turned and looked at him. "You're divorced?"

He nodded. "You've met her ... Dr. Yang." Suddenly Owen realized how little he and Ethan knew about each other.

"Oh." Ethan ran his hands along the fire pole again. "How come we can't stay here? I like this place."

"Well ..." Owen checked his watch and winced at the time. "You've had a very long and terrible day. You should sleep in a warm bed."

Pleadingly, Ethan glanced at him. "I want to sleep here. I like to camp."

The look in the boy's eyes touched Owen. "Okay, we'll camp here for the night. I'll get two sleeping bags out of the storeroom."

Ethan grinned. "Can I go down the fire pole some more before bed?"

"Yes." Owen exhaled as he saw the boy run up the stairs again. He reflected that he ought to feel fulfilled, getting to take care of Ethan and possibly take him in for a long time. But instead his heart felt incomplete, standing in the firehouse without Cristina.

_Many people view a hospital as a place full of pain and heartbreak and death. That is true, but it is not the whole picture. Within the walls are hope and love and sacrifice. Even faced with the agony of losing a loved one, __again and again we see family members courageously offer their own bodies or the body of their loved one, so that a part of them will continue to live and thrive._

__This chapter written by **angelamermaid**.


	2. Chapter 2 We Live On Borrowed Time

GA 9.5, Chapter 2: We Live On Borrowed Time

_All living things will die one day. Human beings, of course, have a unique dilemma. Our time on this planet is finite. And we know it. Someday the hourglass will be empty and our time on earth will be done. So how do we make the best of our days, not knowing if we have years of tomorrows in front of us or none at all? What are our highest priorities? For what or for whom would we sacrifice our own happiness or even our own lives? How do we want to be remembered after we are gone? And how does that affect the ways in which we choose to live? _

"Thanks," Owen said, shaking the skycap's hand and giving him a tip.

He walked back to Ethan and Nancy, who were standing by the truck, and handed her the claim tickets.

"You're all set, Nancy. The bags are checked all the way through. You know where to go once you get inside the terminal?"

"I do. I've flown in and out of this airport many times." A wistful look crossed her face as she remembered how often she had visited her son and his family over the years. "Owen, I don't know how to thank you. You've been just wonderful…an angel from heaven. I'm so grateful."

Owen met her gaze with a warm smile. "I know you are. And I'm happy to be able to do it. Ethan can stay with me indefinitely. You get home and check on things. We'll be just fine. And you'll be back before you know it." Seeing her look of apprehension, he added, "We'll figure everything out. One thing at a time, okay?"

"Okay," she said, as if to reassure herself, "One thing at a time."

Owen gestured to Ethan, "Time to say goodbye."

"Bye, Grandma," Ethan said, giving her a quick hug. "Call us when you get there."

"I will, dear." She ruffled Ethan's hair as he shook her off. "Goodbye."

Owen and Ethan stood watching her as she passed through the sliding doors into the sprawling terminal, quickly disappearing from sight.

Finally Ethan turned to Owen. "We'd better go. Dad says you'll get a ticket if you stay in the drop-off zone too long."

"That's true," Owen agreed. "He was right about that. You ready?"

Ethan nodded.

"Okay, then," Owen said. "Let's hit the road."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Cristina looked up from her cereal as Alex walked into the kitchen. "Good. You're still here." She waited a beat and then added, "Where's your girlfriend?"

Alex scowled as he poured his coffee. "At the hospital. Why?"

"I need to talk to you. In private."

Karev slid into a chair expectantly. "What's up?"

Cristina hesitated slightly. "I spoke to Izzie last night."

His eyes widened in surprise and shock.

"She heard about Dr. Webber and wanted to know what happened. I think she only called me because she couldn't get Mer. Anyway, I'm pretty sure she's not going show up tomorrow but I...thought you should know …just in case."

Alex didn't say anything, lost in his thoughts. He finally spoke as Cristina got up from the table. "Thanks."

"Sure." Cristina paused and then continued as she rinsed out her bowl. "So you told Wilson how you feel about her…"

Alex looked up sharply. "Yeah, I did. And she feels the same."

"Don't get defensive," Cristina replied. "It's just an observation."

Alex exhaled. "Sorry. Still thinking about Izzie." He walked to the sink. "How is she? Did she ask about me?" Seeing the look on Cristina's face he said, "Never mind. I don't wanna know. I don't. Forget it. That's …done." Switching gears he asked, "What's your beef with Jo, anyway? You're the one who said I should tell her how I feel."

"Yeah, well, that's before she put Jason Meyers in a coma," Cristina said quietly, drying her hands on a towel. He looked startled by her frankness. "Look, it's your business. Whatever. You're a big boy." She eyed him pointedly. "Just watch yourself. There's only so much crap a person can take. Even you."

He nodded wryly. "Noted."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

They hadn't said much since leaving the airport. Sports talk radio droned on in the background. The Mariners had lost again. Owen willed himself to concentrate on the task at hand, pushing thoughts of Cristina into a distant corner of his brain. He glanced at the GPS. Just a few more blocks.

"Are they gonna ask me questions?" Ethan said finally.

"What?" Owen's attention snapped back into focus. "Sorry…didn't catch that."

"Do you think they're gonna ask me questions?" Ethan repeated. "I haven't seen them since…the accident. It's kinda weird," he added nervously. As much as he was looking forward to the sleepover, Ethan felt anxious, too.

Owen thought carefully before speaking. "Yeah, it is. The whole thing is weird. I don't know if they will or not. Tommy's your best friend, right?" Ethan nodded solemnly. "Then he might ask you about it. It's a big thing, your parents dying. But you can answer or not. If you don't want to talk about it, tell him that. And if you do, you can say as much or as little as you want. Just…see how it goes."

Ethan looked relieved. "Okay." He twisted the cord on his backpack. "Have you talked to Dr. Yang yet?"

Owen shook his head. "Too much going on. I'll try to get to it today." He saw a look flash across Ethan's face. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just…my mom says 'we do what we want to do'…"

Owen chose to ignore that Ethan was, again, speaking of his parents in the present tense. "Sorry?" he asked, puzzled. "I don't follow."

Ethan shrugged. "You see Dr. Yang all the time at the hospital. It won't take long."

Owen felt his insides clench up as he realized that Ethan had intuitively hit upon the truth. Owen had been avoiding Cristina all week, speaking to her only when necessary and only in a professional way. Even that was killing him. He felt raw and bruised, the cumulative weight of the week bearing down on him.

"Why'd you get divorced?" Ethan asked. "I don't get it."

Owen's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You like her," Ethan said.

"Of course, I like her," Owen answered vaguely, checking the house numbers. "I'll always…like her." Memories surfaced, unbidden. _"I'll always be in love with you. You're the love of my life.__I will never love another woman."_

"But you _like _like her," Ethan insisted. "Why would you get divorced?"

Owen pulled the truck over to the side of the tree-lined street. He sighed heavily. "Ethan, I'm not sure how to explain that to you. We wanted…different things." He was surprised by the boy's insight but tried to shake it off. "Here's what _I _don't get. Why do you think I _like _like her?"

Ethan gave Owen a look of utter disbelief. "Everyone knows you like her. You watch her all the time."

"I…what?" Owen stammered. "I do not watch her."

Ethan gave him a Cheshire cat grin. "Yeah, you do. When you think she doesn't see. I don't think she noticed. But everyone else totally knows," he said triumphantly, doing a little dance, hands pushing the air. "You _love_ her. You want to _kiss_ her," he chanted in a sing-songy voice. "Owen and Dr. Yang, sitting in a tree…"

Owen winced a little, Ethan's teasing words cutting deeply because they were true. Still, he knew Ethan meant well and it was good to see the kid laughing, even at his own expense.

"Stop," Owen said in what he hoped was a casual tone. "Everyone? Great. Good to know. Thanks for the heads up, I guess."

But Ethan had spotted his friend sprinting across the lawn. "Hey! There's Tommy! Can I get out?" The boys waved at each other excitedly.

Owen nodded, thoughts of Cristina once again at the forefront of his mind, as Ethan slammed the door shut.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Addison?"

At the sound of her name Addison Montgomery spun around and found herself face to face with her ex-husband.

"Hello, Derek," she said. She smiled at the little girl clasping his hand. "And this must be Zola." Seeing the look of surprise on his face, she added. "I do have friends here who keep me up-to-date, even if you don't." There was a gentle hint of reproach in her voice, more chiding than accusatory."

"I should have called you about Richard. I'm sorry. It's been quite a week."

"I'd imagine so with the new baby. Bailey, right? Miranda's delighted. I'm staying with her and Ben," she clarified. "How's Meredith?"

"She's fine, now," he replied. "Thank God. We had close call. She'll be going home soon."

"Well, I'm glad she's okay," Addison said simply. "You've had enough losses lately to last a lifetime." She turned her gaze back to the plaque on the wall: _Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital_. She ran her fingers lightly across _Sloan _and turned back to Derek. "Mark and Adele and now Richard," she said, her voice pained. "All gone. I can't believe it."

They stood for a moment in silence, their long history filling the space between them.

Finally Addison spoke. "Anyway, I hope it's okay that I came. I just…wanted to be here for Richard."

"Of course," Derek replied. "He thought a lot of you, Addie. Always."

Her eyes welled up. "Well, he meant the world to me. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, then added impulsively. "Why don't you come upstairs? We're going to see Meredith and Bailey. You should say hello. Meet the baby."

Addison looked uncertain. "I don't know, Derek. I imagine I'm about the last person Meredith wants to see."

"Don't be silly. Come up. Five minutes."

She sighed. "Alright. Five minutes. I would like to tell her how sorry I am about Lexie." She turned to Zola. "And I would very much like to meet your baby brother. I bet you're a great big sister."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

There was a knock on the conference room door.

"Come in," Owen said, eyes still on the papers in front of him.

Looking up he was startled to see Cristina standing there. He didn't say anything, letting the nearness of her wash over him.

Cristina tilted her head. "Um…you wanted to see me," she said, holding up her pager.

"Yes," he said, as if just remembering, the spell broken, "of course." He gestured for her to sit down. "I forgot," he confessed. "I mean, I've been wanting to talk with you but with everything…" A look flickered across her face. Concern, maybe? Regret? His heart leapt a little, despite himself. But the moment passed and her face was unreadable again. "I'm trying to prepare some remarks for Richard's funeral."

At that the mask fell, her expression softening. "How's that going?"

"Not well. I can't focus." He was completely distracted now, flooded by the jumble of contradictory feelings he had for her. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about the firehouse."

Confusion filled her face. She clearly hadn't expected that. "What?"

"Ethan and I stopped by there last week," he explained, "the night of the storm." _The night you broke up with me. Again. Without asking what I thought about it. Again._ "I wanted to get a sleeping bag." Cristina looked still more puzzled.

Owen continued. "He really liked it there. The fire pole especially."

"It's a great house," she said. "What's not to like?"

He smiled a little, his pride in the firehouse showing itself. _He had worked so hard to renovate the house for them. For her. The house she had bought for him. Because he had loved it. And she had loved him._ "And so I was wondering…"

She suddenly understood in a moment of horrible clarity, knew what he was going to ask. She felt sick to her stomach. Owen seemed to be speaking in slow motion.

"…if Ethan and I could stay there for awhile." As if he could read her mind, he added, "It feels weird to me, asking to be there." _Without you._ "But the trailer is so small and I don't know what we're doing yet about school and soccer…it would really help me out."

"You want to stay at the firehouse," she repeated aloud. _Without me. _

"Just temporarily. Until I can figure something else out. Only if you're okay with it," he added, part of him hoping she might not be.

_No, no, no, no…_ But instead she found herself saying, "Of course." He looked surprised. "Of course you can. Stay as long as you need to. Is there anything else?"

He shook his head. "No. Cristina…" He started to reach for her hand but she'd already stood up.

"Okay, then, I'm going to go. I have surgery."

He stood up, too, always the gentleman, wondering if he'd made a mistake in asking her. "Sure. Of course. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'll see you, I guess," she finished lamely.

"Right. Bye." He watched her leave the conference room as fast as she could, disappearing in a flash of navy blue. _What the hell just happened?_

Around the corner, Cristina pressed her back against the wall, willing away the tears that burned in her eyes.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Ridiculous!" Stephanie said in a disgusted tone.

Leah glanced up from her tablet to take a look. Across the way Dr. Catherine Avery was talking animatedly with her son and Dr. Kepner. Both Jackson and April looked extremely uneasy.

"Isn't she engaged to someone else?" Stephanie ranted. "She could act like it."

Leah smirked. "You're just mad because Jackson hasn't introduced his mother to _you_."

"Shut up," Stephanie said, knowing Leah was right. _What was the deal with Jackson and Kepner anyway? 'We're just friends' my…_

An enormous pile of charts plopped down on the counter in front of them.

"Really?" Leah said, annoyed.

"Sorry," Jo replied, sitting down beside them. "These are from Dr. Robbins and Dr. Torres. Shane's on his way with Dr. Russell's and Dr. Bailey's."

"Don't blame me!" she continued, as they both groaned. "I'm just the messenger. All of this has to be entered manually. We're not caught up yet from last week. You're pathetic. Charts always used to be this way. All the time. Until a few months ago." She rolled her eyes.

"What's up with Robbins and Torres anyway?" Leah asked in a gossipy tone. "They're barely talking to each other. I was in surgery with them yesterday. That was the longest eight hours of my life."

"No clue, but Dr. Yang and Dr. Hunt are acting all wacko, too," Stephanie said. "Ever since the storm they've been avoiding each other. And then they give each other sad, piney looks when the other isn't looking. This whole place is so messed up."

"You know what? Dr. Hunt hasn't been over to the house all week," Jo said. "I hadn't realized until you said that."

"And that kid has been around here all week," said a voice from behind another tower of charts. "What's his name? Ethan?

Stephanie turned to Shane. "Didn't you hear? Ethan's father died."

"I thought we evacuated him to Seattle Pres…" Shane said.

"We did. He stroked out," Stephanie replied. "Dr. Yang got a call about it."

Shane's brow furrowed. "Is he staying with Dr. Hunt? What's up with that?"

"Poor kid," Jo mused. "That's really awful, losing both of his parents like that. That would be interesting, if he _is _living with Hunt. I wonder how that happened…and what Dr. Yang thinks about it."

"Ask your boyfriend," Stephanie said. "They're friends."

"Ask yours," Jo retorted, eyeing April and the Averys, as Leah snorted with laughter.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Callie! Are you okay? Let me help you." Owen sprinted across the hospital lobby, reaching her in a few swift strides. He offered her his hands and pulled her up, taken aback by the tears running down her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hand. "I wasn't paying attention. I fell. God, what a mess." She stooped over to help Owen pick up the papers that were scattered all around her. "Just stuff it all in my bag. I'll sort it out later."

Owen shook his head ruefully. "That's the story of my life."

She brightened a little. "Right? What a week." She turned her attention to reclaiming the contents of her purse. "I was supposed to have dinner with Miranda and Addison, but none of us really felt like it with Richard's funeral tomorrow. Which is fine. But I can't go home. So I was trying to figure out someplace else to go. And I got distracted… and I fell…and…well… you're caught up. I'll stop talking now."

"Promise?" Owen smiled, his eyes twinkling. Seeing her blush a little, he added, "I'm just kidding." He paused and then said, "I'm headed to Joe's for a drink. You wanna come along?"

Callie hesitated. "I don't know…"

"Come on," Owen insisted. "You can't go home."

"Okay," she said finally. "Thanks. That sounds nice."

He handed her her purse but slung her bag over his own shoulder, checking one last time for signs of stray belongings. He offered Callie his arm.

They walked in silence through the sliding doors before Callie said, "You didn't ask."

"Ask what?"

"Why I can't go home."

"It's not my business."

"Arizona's there with Sofia," Callie blurted. "She hasn't seen her all week, so she's with her tonight. Arizona cheated on me. The night of the storm. With Lauren Boswell. Lauren Boswell!" It all came out in a rush of words. They kept on walking. "She doesn't forgive me."

Owen stopped abruptly. "What? Shouldn't you be the one forgiving her?"

"For cutting off her leg," Callie said, tears welling up in her eyes. "She doesn't forgive me for cutting off her leg."

Owen sighed. "I'm so sorry." Then he added. "It doesn't mean she doesn't love you."

"What?" Callie said, blinking.

He took a deep breath. "Just because she cheated…just because she doesn't forgive you. It doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't love you. She may love you very much. Do you still love her?" Callie nodded. "But it hurts. Hurts to love her." Callie nodded again. "That's what I thought. C'mon. Let's get that drink."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"You can come in…I'm awake," Meredith said, smiling. Cristina was standing in the hospital room door, silhouetted by the light at the nurses' station.

"Are you sure?" Cristina sat down in the chair next to the bed. "I'm sorry."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going home?"

"If by 'home' you mean my room in Alex's house then, yes, I was," Cristina said testily. "And then I saw Owen…leaving with Callie."

"What? Where?" Meredith asked.

"In the lobby, arm in arm," Cristina replied. "What is that?"

"I don't think it's anything," Meredith said. "Owen and Callie are friends."

"Friends whose relationships have just imploded,"Cristina insisted. "Friends who both love children. Friends who…"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Meredith said firmly. "Where is this coming from?"

"It's just harder than I thought it would be…seeing him…with someone else," Cristina muttered, so quietly that Meredith could barely hear her words.

"I really don't think there's anything on between them. I spoke with Owen earlier. He seemed pretty heartbroken, actually."

"You spoke to Owen?"

"We met to go over the plans for Richard's funeral," Meredith explained. "He was telling me a little bit about Ethan."

"How's that going?" Cristina interrupted.

"I think it's going fine, considering. It's only been a week. He's handling it but he's exhausted. And he misses you terribly."

"He said that?" Cristina asked.

"He didn't," Meredith admitted. "It's just the feeling I got. He's sad, despite being happy to have Ethan." Meredith paused and then continued, "Cristina, _you _broke up with _him_. I don't think there's anything between him and Callie but at some point there's going something with someone, whether it's Callie or someone else. If you're having second thoughts…"

"I broke up with him because it was the right thing to do."

"You love him," Meredith insisted.

"I love him enough to let him go. He wants a kid, Mer. I can't give him that," Cristina said. "Anyway, it's done." She held her head in her hands.

Meredith sighed, "Come on…" She scooted over, patting the spot beside her.

Cristina looked up and hesitated, then climbed into the bed next to Meredith. Her eyes filled with tears. "I hate this."

"I know," Meredith said, putting her arms around her friend. "I know."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Sorry about that," Owen said, texting once again. "This can't wait…time sensitive."

"Everybody needs The Chief," Callie said. "Occupational hazard."

"I guess," Owen replied. As if to prove the point, his phone rang. Glancing at it quickly he pushed 'ignore' saying, "That one can wait until Monday." He set the phone to vibrate and put it into his pocket. "So what was I saying?"

"You're trying to keep Ethan in the same school…"

"Right. Yeah. I mean, the kid's had enough changes, you know? I don't know if I'll be able to do it for the long haul. But I'm going to try for now. This summer's going to be some combination of summer school and day camp." Seeing her quizzical look Owen continued, "He's a smart kid, but he hasn't been to school in weeks. Not since the accident. He's going to have to get caught up over the summer."

"How far is it to his school?" Callie asked.

"Technically, not far. Bellevue. Good schools, nice area…but the traffic is tricky. Depends a lot on what time of day you're trying to drive it."

"Any chance you'd move out that way?"

"I really don't think so. I need to be near the hospital. Even being out at the trailer has really been too far. We're going to be living in the firehouse for now."

The tiniest flicker of surprise crossed Callie's face but she simply repeated, "Everybody needs The Chief. The closer the better."

"Yes," Owen agreed. "And I'm not even sure Ethan would want to live out there again, without his parents. It's hard to know. I'm just figuring things out as I go along."

"We all make it up as we go along. It sounds like you're doing a really good job," Callie said reassuringly. "All you can do is your best. Expect to screw up a lot. Luckily kids are very forgiving. Where is Ethan tonight, anyway?"

"Spending the night with a friend. He needs that. And he doesn't need to attend Richard's funeral. I'm picking him up tomorrow afternoon."

"Has there been a funeral yet for his parents?" Callie asked.

Owen sighed. "Not yet. They've both been cremated and the memorial service will probably be in a couple of weeks. At least I hope so. Ethan needs closure. Speaking of which, we also need to completely empty out the house where they lived. And by 'we' I mean 'me' because Nancy is pretty limited in what she can do and Ethan shouldn't be there any more than is absolutely necessary. It's too hard on him. I honestly don't know how I'm going to do it." He took a large swig of his beer. "Too much, you know? Too much." Callie was clearly contemplating something. "What?"

Finally she spoke. "I could help you. With the house, I mean."

"Callie, I didn't mean…" he stammered, embarrassed.

"I know you didn't," she said quickly. "You didn't ask. You would never ask. Which is why I'm offering. You need help. I need a project. It's win-win." Seeing his skeptical look she added, "You are underwater, my friend. This is no time to be proud. The correct is response is, 'Thank you, Callie.' Accept the help!"

He thought for a minute then said, "I will gratefully accept your offer of help. Thank you, Callie."

"You're welcome. Was that so hard?" She motioned for another round of drinks. "We'll get it done. Hey! Look who's here!" She grinned as Miranda and Addison walked over to their booth.

"We changed our minds," Addison said. "Decided Richard needed a good send off."

"Ben's getting us a bigger table," Miranda said. "Owen, you're staying."

"Yes, ma'am," Owen said, knowing better than to protest.

"Did you do this?" Callie whispered to Owen as they walked to the new table, "All that mysterious 'time sensitive' texting?"

"I plead the Fifth on the grounds that my answer might incriminate me…"

"Thank you. So much," she said sincerely. "I really appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure," he replied.

A few minutes later they had squeezed into the corner booth in the back of the bar, drinks in hand, preparing to toast the man of the hour.

"To Richard Webber," Owen said. "A good man, an even better friend and an amazing Chief. May we honor his memory every day in how we conduct our lives. To Richard."

They raised their glasses, clinking them in unison. "To Richard!"

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Miranda Bailey was lost in her own thoughts. She hadn't believed it possible that there would come a day as bad as the day they had buried George O'Malley. Yet this day was its terrible equal. Today she would say goodbye to the man who had meant so much to her and who had been so many things to her: teacher, mentor, father, friend. Their last conversations had been arguments, her last words to him so ugly and hurtful. She winced to think about it. Words she could never take back. It was a painful thing, regret.

It had been Owen's idea to have the service at the hospital and it turned out to be the perfect setting. Richard's closed casket was in the atrium surrounded by several floral arrangements. A large photograph showed Richard smiling serenely while two boards displayed candid pictures of his personal and professional life. Several rows of chairs were set up for the guests with a podium at the front and center.

The turnout was, as expected, very large. Miranda swept the crowd with her eyes and saw many familiar faces. Margaret Campbell. Louise O'Malley. Board members and hospital staff both past and present. Alex Karev was sitting next to Jo Wilson. Jackson Avery next to his mother. A few rows behind them sat April Kepner and her fiancé, Matthew.

Miranda glanced at the front row. Meredith and Derek were already seated. Cristina Yang was on one side of Meredith. Miranda imagined she and Ben were to sit on the other side of Derek. Owen Hunt would bookend the row. She smiled at Addison and Callie who were seated together and wondered where Arizona was sitting, then realized she had slipped into a seat next to Karev.

Miranda looked up at the skywalk. How many conversations had she and Richard had there? She pushed the memories aside and walked towards the casket, squeezing Ben's hand more tightly. So many flowers from so many absent colleagues and friends: Preston Burke. Teddy Altman. Isobel Stevens. Erica Hahn. The Harper Avery Foundation.

She brushed her fingertips lightly across the casket as she walked by, pausing for a moment to pay her respects, and then took her seat, Ben by her side. She focused on the task at hand, the eulogies to be given: Owen first, then Meredith, then finally her. Afterwards Richard would leave his hospital for the last time to be buried alongside Adele in a beautiful cemetery in the woods.

Miranda closed her eyes as a soprano voice soared from the catwalk singing Andrew Lloyd Webber:

_Pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu  
Qui tollis peccata mundi  
Dona eis requiem, dona eis requiem  
_

_Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei, Agnus Dei  
Qui tollis peccata mundi  
Dona eis requiem, dona eis requiem  
_

_Sempiternam  
Sempiternam  
Requiem_

Owen walked quietly to the podium and looked out across the mourners. When he got to Cristina, their eyes met for the briefest of moments. And then it was time to begin.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Owen Hunt. I'm the Chief of Surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. We've gathered today to remember Richard Webber…to honor his memory and to celebrate his life…"

_None of us knows how long our lives will be, how many days we will have between birth and death. Would we live our lives differently if we did know? Would we be less reckless? More thoughtful? Less selfish? More loving? Would we stop wasting so much time before it is too late? _

This chapter written by **lovemesomeowen**.


	3. Chapter 3 Lovesong

_"A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults." - Charles Kingsley_

Yawning, Owen walked around the firehouse, turning off the lights. He stuck his head inside Ethan's room to check on him. The boy had been enduring a gamut of emotions in the last few weeks – the memorial service for his parents, moving into the firehouse, starting summer school. Owen had done what he could for him, like replicating his room from his parents' house as closely as he could. The boy was sleeping soundly, at least.

As he had often done recently, Owen wondered if he was really up to the task of charting both of their futures. He headed towards the bedroom, pulling off his t-shirt. The empty bed stopped him cold. It should've felt more comfortable than being in the trailer – but he couldn't get used to sleeping in it alone. Not after the last few blissful months he'd had with Cristina.

Owen tossed the shirt into the hamper and pulled out his phone. He dialled the one person that he had come to lean on during this time of turmoil.

"Hey!" Callie sounded cheerful. "What's up?"

"I wanted to check in with you, see how you're doing," he fibbed.

"I'm good. Thanks again for coming over tonight and helping me rearrange Sofia's room."

"You're welcome."

Callie's voice was knowing. "Now tell me why you're really calling."

"I don't want to sleep in an empty bed."

"I hear you."

"And I'm second-guessing myself again," he confessed. "Wondering if I really know what I've gotten myself into with Ethan."

"Has anything changed?"

"I brought up the guardianship on the drive home tonight." Owen sat down on the couch and leaned back. "He seemed to take the news well."

"You're doing the right thing," she assured him. "You need to be his legal guardian since his grandmother is out East and he's with you."

"Yeah."

"It could be worse – Nancy could be against the idea. It's a positive thing that she supports this. Less legal hassle."

"Uh huh." Owen stretched and settled into the couch more comfortably. "Have you talked with Arizona lately?"

Callie sighed. "Yep. She just called to say she can't take Sofia tomorrow night, she decided to take Teddy up on her offer, so she's going to Germany tomorrow."

"Need any help?"

"Maybe," she replied. "I'll let you know. Being a single mother is so much harder than I thought it would be."

"So is being a single dad."

"You're doing really well with him," Callie said. "You two are the cutest."

"You think so?" Owen paused. "I ... wonder sometimes how he feels about me, I want him to like me. Is that crazy?"

"Aw!" He could hear the amusement in her voice. "Owen, he likes you a lot, I can tell. Don't worry."

He smiled. "If you say so."

Callie coughed lightly. "Have you spoken with Cristina lately?"

Owen stopped smiling. "Just work stuff."

"I haven't spoken with her for a while, I was wondering if something's going on with her."

He shrugged. "She hasn't told me anything."

oOoOo

"They had lunch together again," Cristina told Meredith over the phone. "That's three times this week."

"You and I have lunch together all the time," her friend reminded her. "That doesn't mean we're going to sleep with each other. Besides, I'm taken."

"Bite me." Cristina replied, adjusting her position on her bed. "Callie is becoming his person while her marriage is imploding. It's only a matter of time before they fall in love and have a baby."

"Cristina!" Meredith sighed. "Owen was here yesterday, getting the last of his things from the trailer. He was all sad and mopey when I asked if he'd spoken with you lately."

"Really?"

"Uh huh. I made him hold Bailey just to cheer him up. It was so cute-" Meredith paused, realizing she'd wandered into sensitive territory. "No, no it wasn't. It wasn't adorable at all, he's terrible with babies. We're changing the subject. What's going on with Alex and Jo?"

Cristina rolled her eyes. "They're doing it in the shower again. Which means I can't have a bath because there won't be any hot water."

"Poor Cristina."

"At least the house isn't full of drunk interns tonight. It's like ... well, it's like the house was like when we were the drunk interns."

"That bad?"

"I'm too old for this crap," Cristina sighed.

"You could live in the trailer – sorry." Meredith paused. "Why don't you just talk with Owen? If you could do that, you'd find out that he and Callie are just friends and you'd feel better."

"I can't 'just talk' with him," Cristina replied. "It hurts too much."

"Well ... find some way to check in with him. Or Callie. You'll feel better if you do." The sounds of Bailey's cries could be heard in the background. "I have to go."

"Okay bye." Cristina ended the call, then looked around her lonely room. She looked down at the purple duvet covering her legs. Without thinking, she lifted it up and sniffed it. It no longer held the scent of Owen's aftershave.

She leaped out of the bed and went to the stack of books in the corner, hoping to find one she hadn't read yet. Shaking her head, she realized what she really craved was rereading a favorite, that was still at the firehouse.

She snapped her fingers. "A-ha!"

oOoOo

Arizona grimaced as she left the security area of the military airport. She'd had a long and turbulent-ridden flight, and just wanted some rest.

"There you are!" Teddy smiled brightly as she approached her. She greeted Arizona with a warm hug.  
"Okay, tell me what I can do for you."

"Take this bag," Arizona said. "Just because it was a terrible flight and I'm exhausted but I'm not helpless."

"I know you're very capable," Teddy assured her. "Do you want to get something to eat or do you want to go straight to my place?"

"Your place," Arizona said.

"Let's go grab your suitcase then leave." Teddy started leading her to the luggage area. "And we'll change the subject to something positive. How are Callie and Sofia?"

"Oh boy," Arizona muttered. "Um, I've moved out."

Teddy stopped and stared at her. "_Oh_. I'm definitely taking you home and feeding you and putting you to bed, then I want to hear all about it once you're rested."

oOoOo

Cristina stood on the street and looked up at the firehouse. She hadn't been to it in months. She also hadn't seen Owen or Callie in a couple of days, and her curiosity was making her crazy. So here she was.

Bracing herself, Cristina unlocked the front door and stepped inside. She frowned at the stillness – somehow she'd expected some noisy rough-housing, or whatever it was that fathers and sons did together.

"Dr. Yang?" Ethan appeared at the top of the stairs. He watched her, puzzled.

"Hi!" She pasted on a huge smile. "I just came by to get a book out of storage."

"Okay." He turned and left.

She waited a few seconds, but Owen didn't appear. Exhaling, Cristina went to the storeroom in the back of the firehouse. Her side of the room was haphazard, while everything of Owen's was neatly stacked. She tried not to look at the pile of boxes that held items they'd bought together.

Frowning, she noticed that there was a new stack of boxes in one corner. They had labels such as "Photo albums", in Owen's writing.

"Cristina?" She turned to see Owen standing in the doorway. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, he was as appealing as ever. "What – what are you doing here?"

She smiled politely. "I came to get a book. Where did these boxes come from?"

He looked downcast. "From Paul and Rachel's home."

"Oh."

"I cleared out their things," he grimaced. "Some of their friends helped, and so did Callie but ... it was tough."

She nodded, slowly.

"They'd built a whole life together," Owen mused absently. He flashed back to the difficult task of choosing what to keep. "They had a child they loved very much ... and now they're gone, and their precious son is my responsibility. I saved everything that I thought he'd want to have."

Cristina looked down at the floor. "How is it going? With Ethan?"

Owen considered his words. "He's doing as well as can be expected. I've got him set up in summer school and a soccer program. I'm, uh, trying to establish some routines for him. He needs some consistency now."

She nodded, then decided to probe a bit. "Is Callie helping you?"

His face brightened, and it felt like a kick to her gut. "Yes, she's been really terrific. We're trading off babysitting and I've been helping her and she's been helping me. I couldn't get out of a meeting today so she picked him up from school and took him to her place for a while."

"Uh huh." Cristina paused, awkwardly. "Well, I think I'll start looking for that book."

"Do you need some help?"

She shook her head and turned away from him.

"How are you doing?" Owen quietly asked.

Cristina froze. "I'm fine," she replied crisply, before opening a box.

He watched her for a few seconds, wishing she would open up to him, let him know what was going on inside. The awkward silence was broken up by the sound of a soccer ball falling down the stairs.

"I'd better go check on that," Owen muttered, turning and leaving.

oOoOo

"This is all very impressive," Arizona said, as she walked the halls of Landstuhl Regional Medical Center with Teddy. "You must be busy day and night."

"I keep some nights free," Teddy winked. "Remember that Italian I told you about? He's decided to move here permanently."

"Ooh." For the first time in days, Arizona's smile was genuine. "I'm happy for you."

"Me too." Teddy gestured towards her office. "Why don't we go in here and talk?"

"Um, okay." They entered the spacious room and sat down. "So this is when I tell you how messy my personal life is?"

Teddy reached out and touched her hand. "Yes."

"Okay." Arizona breathed in deeply. "I slept with someone else. This doctor came to the hospital and flirted with me and she was captivating and she looked at me like I was beautiful and kept pursuing me ... I lost control."

Her friend tilted her head, listening.

"And Callie found out." Arizona looked down. "She wanted to know why. And the best explanation I could come up with is ... she cut off my leg."

Teddy frowned. "I thought ... the amputation was to save your life."

"She promised she wouldn't do it," Arizona said, with a sudden vehemence.

"Okay." Teddy bit her bottom lip, thinking quickly. "I want you ... to tell me _everything_ that happened. Starting with the crash."

"What does it matter?" Arizona snapped. "My leg is still gone."

"Trust me," Teddy replied. "It matters."

oOoOo

Cristina left her latest patient's room with a smile on her face. Once again, she'd devised an innovative treatment plan, and the patient was responding favorably. She glowed with professional fervor ... until she realized that there was nobody nearby for her to share her achievements with.

She did a mental checklist. Meredith had been up all night with the baby and was probably too tired to chat. Alex was likely sucking face with Jo in a closet. Arizona was in Germany.

And Callie and Owen were off in the distance, chatting as they waited for an elevator. From afar, Cristina watched as Owen threw back his head and laughed – how she had loved making him roar like that, in private moments together. Now Callie was getting to see that side of him. When the doors opened, he touched Callie's elbow and said something before entering the elevator.

Owen spotted Cristina watching them, and his face changed, became more guarded. The elevator doors closed in front of him. Callie turned around, and waved when she spotted Cristina.

"Oh crap," she muttered as Callie walked towards her.

"Cristina!" Callie smiled broadly. "I haven't seen you for a while, how are you?"

"Um good." Cristina pasted on a smile. "I just saved a woman's life, want to hear about it?"

"I'll buy the coffee."

oOoOo

"Wow," Teddy said. "You had a great team working on you. They went above and beyond trying to save your life. I'm amazed at all the techniques and treatments they tried."

"But they didn't save my leg." Arizona looked at the other woman intensely.

Teddy nodded. "So what, as a doctor, would you have done differently?"

Arizona's eyes widened as she considered the question. Finally, she spoke. "I would have kept trying."

"It sounds like they ran out of time," Teddy said, gently. "Your body couldn't keep fighting the infection forever while they searched for a solution."

The other woman sat there, stony-faced.

Teddy sighed. "Do you remember what happened after Henry died? When I tortured Yang by making her recount the details over and over?"

"Uh huh."

"Only when I thought it through, when I was able to think it all the way through and consider all of the options available to her at the time ... did I understand that she had no options. Henry would've died anyways."

Arizona stared at her.

Teddy placed a hand on Arizona's. "Do you think ... without the rescue team finding you days earlier ... the leg just could not have been saved?"

oOoOo

"This was fun, I'm glad we could have coffee together," Callie said, picking up their empty cups.

"Yes." Cristina surprised herself by meaning it. "I should come by some night, see my god-daughter."

"You should! How about ..." Callie paused, awkwardly. "I'll have to check my schedule."

"Got plans with Owen?" The words spilled out of Cristina and inwardly she cringed. "He, um, told me that you've been helping each other."

"Yes, he's been very helpful." Her friend smiled cautiously. "I don't know what I'd do without him. Some days I just want to stay in bed and cry."

"So you and Arizona ..." Cristina gestured helplessly.

"... Are still avoiding each other." Callie finished.

oOoOo

Arizona sat and read emails in Teddy's living room, while her host cooked supper. Teddy watched her friend, wistfully. Her guest had been withdrawn, almost sullen, after their talk in her office.

"So, what's the latest gossip from Seattle?" Teddy asked, breaking the silence. "Anyone caught with their pants down in a supply closet lately?"

"Karev and an intern," Arizona replied, eyes on her laptop screen. "Jackson is also sleeping with an intern and April is engaged to a paramedic."

"Uh huh."

"Oh, and Owen is the foster father of this kid now," Arizona continued, absently. "They are so adorable together."

Teddy paused. "How does Cristina feel about that?"

"I'd say the divorce is going to stick now." Arizona glanced at Teddy and raised her eyebrows at her friend's shocked expression. "You did know they were divorced, right?"

oOoOo

That night, Owen prowled around the firehouse again, avoiding the empty bed. When he heard whimpering from Ethan's room, he sprinted to the door. The boy was rolling around and thrashing in his sleep.

"Ethan!" Owen turned on a lamp and approached the bed. Ethan's eyes flew open and he sat up, eyes wild.

"You were having a nightmare." Owen sat down on the edge of the bed. "You're safe here."

Ethan silently blinked at him.

"Everyone has bad dreams," Owen assured him. "When I came back from Iraq, I had them every night, for a long time."

The boy shook his head a little, becoming more conscious. "You did? What did you do?"

"Well, at first I thought they would just go away, and I was wrong," Owen admitted. "Cristina tried to help me ... but she couldn't. I started talking with a therapist and she helped me a lot."

Ethan's eyes widened. "Are you going to make me talk to a therapist?"

"No, I won't _make_ you do that, at least not now. I just ... want you to know that you can come to me any time that you need help with something. I ... would like to help you, if I can." He smiled softly. "I really like you and I know all about nightmares."

The boy looked away.

"I can sit here with you until you go back to sleep?" Owen kept his tone gentle. "If that's okay with you."

"It's okay." Ethan glanced at him before laying down again. "My mom always sat with me if I had a bad dream."

"Then I will definitely stay."

"Thank you." Ethan closed his eyes. "I really miss my mom and my dad."

"I know, I'm sorry." Owen sat there and watched the boy, in the dim light.

oOoOo

"Look who came to see you!" Callie smiled at Sofia as she let Cristina into the apartment.

"Hi!" Cristina smiled at the little girl. "She has gotten so big."

"She's got a terrific appetite."

Cristina looked around the living room. "You've rearranged things again."

"Yes, Sofia is in a climbing stage so a change was needed. You should see her room!" Callie eagerly opened the door, then paused.

"What?" Cristina frowned. "I don't live here any more, it's okay if my old room is pink. Although that is gender-typing."

"It's not that," Callie replied. "And it's not pink, either. It's just ... you're going to say 'oh my god, did you put together that heavy oak furniture by yourself?' And I'm going to say, 'Owen helped me'."

"Oh." Cristina looked at the floor. "It's okay."

"How are you doing?" Callie put a friendly arm around Cristina's shoulders. "We've barely had a chance to talk since ..."

"...Since you've been spending all your time with my ex-husband." Cristina glanced at her. "I've seen you together, you look like you're really getting along. You two ... look like you're right for each other..."

"What?!" Callie's eyes were wide as she withdrew her arm. "Cristina, Owen and I are friends. Just because my wife cheated on me and avoids me doesn't mean I'm available. And Owen misses you, in case you didn't know."

"But I don't want to stop him from being a father," Cristina said. "And you, you were born to be a mother and I see the two of you together all the time, you make him laugh like I used to ..."

"No no no no no!" Callie gripped Cristina's shoulders. "There is nothing going on between us. I ... I can stop leaning on him for support, if that helps. I didn't know it would bother you to see us together. As friends."

"I don't want to stop him from being with someone who can make him happy," Cristina muttered, before turning away. "You have my blessing." She left a stunned Callie in the apartment.

oOoOo

As per their new routine, Owen walked Ethan to the doors of his school. He noticed that the boy was quieter than usual. "You okay?"

Ethan nodded. "I'm just tired because I didn't sleep well."

"Call me if you need me. For anything." Owen tentatively clasped his shoulder encouragingly, before Ethan entered the building.

His phone buzzed as he walked back to his truck. He glanced at the screen and was surprised to see Teddy's name. He answered as he dug out his keys. "Teddy! Hi!"

"Hey Owen." He could hear a smile in her voice. "First, I need to tell you that I am madly in love with a tall dark and handsome Italian who returns my affections, and he's moving to Germany to be with me."

Owen grinned. "Congratulations."

"And second..." He could hear her inhale. "What the hell is this about you being divorced? Did I not tell you to fight for Cristina?"

Owen raised his eyebrows as he climbed behind the wheel. "She was catatonic after the crash. And then she ran away."

"And then she came back and you got divorced for a lawsuit and according to Arizona you started dating Cristina again and now you've split up again? What the hell, Hunt?"

He coughed. "It's a little more complicated than that, Teddy-"

"Cut the crap." Her voice was firm. "You belong with Cristina. Go fight for her."

oOoOo

"You what?" Meredith shook her head, certain she'd misheard Cristina over the phone. "You ... kind of gave Callie and Owen your blessing?"

"It's over between us," Cristina insisted. "Owen is pursuing his destiny and if I had to choose his next wife, I'd choose Callie. She likes babies and she's a good cook and she's got good birthing hips."

"What kind of twisted universe are you living in where you have to choose Owen's second wife?" Meredith sputtered. "Cristina, _you love him_. And Callie said they're just friends." She gasped. "Have you found another sex friend? Is this why you're trying to put the two of them together?"

"I do not have a sex friend," Cristina assured her. "I have my career. I'm rocking my fellowship and being innovative and Russell is including me on his next paper. I'm fulfilled."

"Bullshit." Meredith sighed. "If they were to start dating – which I don't think they will because, hello, he loves you – it would kill you. Did you think about that?"

"I would be happy for them because they'd be happy," Cristina said, unconvincingly.

oOoOo

"Hey Torres." Owen stepped up beside her as she exited a patient's room. "I need to ask you something..."

"We need to talk." She nodded towards a nearby supply closet. They quickly entered it.

"Cristina thinks we're going to fall in love," Callie blurted out. "I told her that nothing was going on but she gave us her blessing!"

Owen stared at her, mouth open. "Wha -what?!"

"She came over last night to see Sofia and she was there hardly two minutes before she said we were right for each other, and how we both want to have babies and something about me making you laugh and she said I could make you happy and she gave me her blessing and ran out the door!"

"Oh my god." Owen ran his fingers through his hair. "I am so sorry you got pulled into this ... mess ... between Cristina and myself."

"It's not your fault!" Callie paused. "Did you say anything to her about us?"

"She asked if you were helping me with Ethan and I said, 'yes'," he replied, confused. "I thought I conveyed how we are two single parents helping each other out..."

Callie regarded him, thoughtfully. "Do you think she sees something that we don't?"

"Like what?" Owen frowned, then began to blush. "Oh. Um."

"I've always thought of you as a friend," Callie said. "I mean, from the moment you came to Seattle you've had eyes for Cristina. And I had eyes for Erica. And Arizona. And Mark every now and then."

Owen hesitated, not wanting to hurt her feelings. "You're a beautiful woman, Callie, but ... I think of you as a friend. A very good one."

"And you're the guy who fixes flat tires and puts together furniture and is so awesome with Sofia ..." Callie flailed a bit. "This is crazy. But I have to wonder why she would think that about us?"

"I know what you're doing," Owen said. "You're doing that thing when you obsess over something and you keep talking about it over and over."

"That's what I do," Callie acknowledged with a smile. "I obsess."

"I know," he teased.

"But what if Cristina is on to something?" Callie asked. "Don't you wonder ...?"

"No," Owen said. "I only think about Cristina."

"I see."

Owen looked at her again. "Callie, you're an awesome person in a very difficult situation right now. I can't stop wondering how I can get Cristina back when she doesn't want kids and now I have one. A boy who needs my help and I want to help him in the best way possible because if I don't he's going to end up in a psych ward or in prison."

"And I thought I was nutty." She smiled a little before sighing. "But what if ... neither of them come back? Do you think there might be some chemistry between us?"

He was amused. "You're obsessing again."

"Well since my wife barely speaks to me, I have to ... realize that I may be a single woman in the future and I may want to date and you may be still single and we may date each other. We're both hot, you know."

Owen cocked an eyebrow. "You know, when I wonder if there's chemistry between myself and a beautiful woman, I don't obsess. I take action."

"What?"

His hands cupped her face as he moved closer. He pressed his lips against hers, eliciting a surprised sound. Her hands flailed a bit as she tentatively kissed him back.

They both drew back at the same time and stared into each other's eyes.

"Why did you do that?" Callie stammered in confusion. "I mean, good technique, Hunt."

He half-smiled. "I wanted to stop your obsessing by proving there is no chemistry."

"Well that's true." She shrugged. "Sorry. I'm not the woman you want to be kissing."

"Neither am I." He grinned, breaking the tension.

Callie's eyes widened. "George!"

"O'Malley?" Owen frowned. "That George?"

"I was married to him!" She gesticulated wildly. "We married each other at the wrong time and the more that I tried to make it work, the worse it got!"

"Okay..." He listened, patiently waiting for an explanation that made sense.

"You and I have got to be friends and only friends," Callie insisted. "Otherwise I will try to make it work and it will all go to hell."

Owen grinned. "I hope we're going to be only friends. Because I _need_ a friend, Callie."

Chuckling, Callie pulled him into a hug. "Then you've got one in me."

"I'm glad." He squeezed her. "You really are an exceptional woman and you deserve to be with someone that makes you happy."

"And you need to be with Cristina." She patted his back.

oOoOo

Wearily, Cristina collapsed in a chair in the attendings' lounge.. It was deserted, late in the evening. She'd just pulled off another amazing surgery, and was drained.

She looked at the rain lashing the windows. Idly, she wondered where Owen was that night.

April came in and nodded to her, looking troubled. She slowly changed into her street clothes, while Cristina read messages on her phone.

Finally Cristina realized that April was hovering, appearing to want to talk. She put down her phone.  
"What's up?"

"I'm marrying Matthew," April said softly.

"And?" Cristina hoped that this was not going to lead to her wearing some horrible bridesmaid dress.

"Why did you marry Dr Hunt?" April glanced at her quickly.

Stunned, Cristina sat up. "Well ... we wanted to be together. Forever. We were in love."

"And when did you know the marriage was a mistake?" April asked, shyly.

Cristina rubbed her head. "I don't ... mistakes were made after the wedding ..." She reflected that she could not say that marrying Owen was a mistake. "We didn't talk about children before the wedding. That was the mistake."

The younger woman nodded, looking miserable.

She felt some compassion towards April. "Do you think your wedding might be a mistake?"

Ever so slightly, April nodded.

"Do you want to hurt Matthew?"

"No!" April's eyes grew round. "That's why I'm going to marry him, so I don't hurt him."

"Okay. Why don't you want to marry him?"

"Because of Jackson," she replied in a tiny voice. "I think I'd rather marry him. I'm not sure."

Cristina leaned forward and faced Kepner directly. "Trust me on this. You will hurt Matthew more if you marry him before deciding who you really want."

April's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you."

Cristina sat back. Once again, her thoughts went to Owen and where he was. And who he was with.

oOoOo

The feel of a small hand on his shoulder woke Owen up. He opened his eyes to see Ethan standing beside his bed. A flash of lightning illuminated the room and made the boy flinch.

"You okay?" Owen asked. Ethan shook his head. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I don't like thunder and lightning." The boy whispered.

"Okay." Owen sat up. "What did your parents do during storms?"

The boy looked down at the floor. "They would let me sleep in their bed."

"Do you want to sleep in mine?" Owen patted the empty side.

Ethan nodded and crawled under the covers. Owen tucked the blankets around him.

"It's normal to feel scared during storms," Owen told him. "I'm here."

The boy nodded silently, his face pale.

Owen laid back down again. He prayed that he would know what to do or say to keep Ethan as calm as possible.

A loud thunder clap shook the windows. Ethan made a startled noise and instinctively grabbed Owen's arm.

Owen pulled him close, noting that the boy was shaking. "Shhh, shhh." He rubbed Ethan's back as the boy clung to his shoulders.

"Don't leave me," Ethan cried. "Don't go away!"

"I won't," Owen vowed. "I'm right here."

"I want you to stay," Ethan gasped. "I mean, I want to stay with you! Forever!"

"Of course you can, I want that too." Owen held him closely. "I'm not going anywhere. Neither are you."

The frightened boy buried his face against Owen's neck and nodded.

oOoOo

The next morning, Callie helped Sofia wipe her mouth, then started picking up breakfast dishes. "What do you think we'll do today? It's the weekend, there are so many places we could go, together."

Callie turned her head, at the sound of a key in the lock. She held her breath, as Arizona slowly opened the door and entered the apartment.

Her wife looked her in the eyes. "We need to talk."

oOoOo

Standing outside of the firehouse, Cristina heard the shouts of joy before she even put her key in the lock. She smiled at the sounds as she unlocked the door and let herself in again.

"Hi Dr. Yang!" Ethan slid down the fire pole, his face flushed with excitement. He looked up at the ceiling. "Your turn!"

Laughing, Owen slid down the pole next. Cristina's heart skipped a beat, seeing him so happy. He smiled at her, puzzled.

"I, um, came for some more books," she lamely offered. Owen nodded.

"Let's go down again!" Ethan started towards the stairs, motioning for Owen to follow.

Mesmerized by the happy scene, she watched them disappear from sight, then heard them run across the floor above. Ethan howled with delight as he slid down one more time. He grinned at her.

"Look out below!" With a whoop, Owen descended down the pole.

"So..." Cristina rocked back and forth on her heels. "I should go find those books."

"I'll help," Owen said, stepping forward. "Ethan, play safe!"

"Okay!"

Cristina felt self-conscious as Owen followed her into the storeroom.

"What books are you looking for?"

"Textbooks," Cristina replied.

"Uh huh." He folded his arms and watched her tentatively start opening boxes.

"I want to make something clear," Owen said. "Callie and I are friends and just that. We are two single parents helping each other out. That's it."

Cristina paused. "You've been spending a lot of time with her. Not that it's any of my business."

"Uh huh." He stepped up behind her. "If you see us laughing together, it's because I think my friend is funny. I'm tired of being lonely and if I'm going to be a good parent, I need a support system."

"All right." She randomly opened another box.

"Derek and I have had coffee together a couple of times, you can be sure I'm not going to date him either," Owen weakly joked. Cristina rolled her eyes and searched through the box.

Owen observed her with some amusement. She clearly hadn't expected him to follow her into the storeroom and watch her. He knew her well enough to see through her false pretenses.

_"Fight for her."_ He took two steps forward.

Cristina's senses told that he'd stepped even closer behind her. Owen's voice was soft and inches away. "Did you really think I would just try to find someone to have a baby with?"

She stood tall, still keeping her back to him. "I knew that I was holding you back."

"I disagree." Owen was close enough to recognize the smell of her shampoo. Frustrated, he decided he had nothing to lose. "I want _you_."

Her eyes widened.

Owen's voice was husky and she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. "I miss you. I think about you all the time. I _ache_ for you, Cristina."

The emotion in his voice was getting to her; she felt short of breath.

He could feel the temperature rising between them and that made him bolder. "When I think of how good we are together, how good we are for each other ... I can only think of you. You will always be the woman I love."

He wasn't even touching her yet her body was responding. Her skin was flushed, and moisture was gathering between her legs. The familiar smell of his aftershave was intoxicating.

Owen moved even closer. Looking over her shoulder, he could see that her nipples had peaked under her thin t-shirt. His mouth mere inches away from her right ear, he spoke softly. "Don't you miss us? What we are together?"

Her eyes stung so she closed them. "I miss you," Cristina confessed. She wondered if he was going to kiss her and felt she would die if he didn't.

The repressed feelings in her voice tugged at his heartstrings. Owen wanted nothing more than to pull her close and never let her go.

"It doesn't make sense that we live separate lives, Cristina. We belong together." His lips were against her temple now. "Why are we apart?"

Cristina swallowed, hard. It would be so easy to succumb to the chemistry between them, spend the rest of their lives together. She could envision them falling to the floor, holding each other close ... they'd have to shut the door because of ...

The sound of Ethan sliding down the pole broke the spell. Cristina jumped away from Owen, eyes averted. She quickly fled the storeroom, marching past the startled boy and practically running through the front door.

Owen sighed as he watched her go. Ethan stuck his head into the storeroom. "She couldn't find her books?"

Owen considered his words. "She wasn't looking for books."

Hands shaking, Cristina could barely put her key into the ignition. "Come on come on," she muttered, starting the car. She hastily checked for traffic before pulling out, and away from the firehouse.

She caught sight of herself in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were wide and her skin was flushed. "Damn it!" She pounded the steering wheel, hard. He'd gotten under her skin, once again.

"I have my career!" She shouted at her reflection. "That is all I need to make me happy!"

Cristina took a deep breath and looked in the mirror again. "Bullshit."

Owen slowly closed the front door of the firehouse. She'd left him, once again. He supposed he should be angry ... but instead he felt ... like he'd scored a touchdown.

_There are patients who seek attention for the slightest bruise or cough, convinced they are about to die. And there are patients who ignore obvious symptoms because they are terrified of hearing the truth. We can be like that in relationships - scared to reach out and ask for help when we are at our very lowest. But with love and trust, we can take the first steps towards healing._

**This chapter written by angelamermaid.**


	4. Chapter 4 To Make You Feel My Love

9.5 Chapter Four

_It is a common misconception that the Chinese symbol for "crisis" translates to "danger" plus "opportunity." But as scholar Victor H. Mair observes, a more accurate and nuanced understanding of "crisis" is that of a pivotal moment or turning point. In the midst of a crisis, we stand at a crossroads at which we must be both mindful and wary. And it is in dealing with a crisis that our true character reveals itself._

Cristina struggled to keep her attention focused on the task at hand. Attending hospital board meetings was easily one of her least favorite things to do and since her fellow board members felt largely the same, they attempted to keep the gatherings as short as possible. Today's agenda, however, was exceptionally long. After enduring several mind-numbing routine reports, there was a staggering amount of new business to address.

Foremost amongst these items was the hiring of a replacement for Richard Webber, which they had managed to put off as long as possible and could no longer delay. To Cristina's relief, both the discussion and the voting on this was straightforward and they moved on to the proposed Phase Two of the Robbins/Karev International Pediatric Project. This, too, was approved quickly and without incident, although Cristina couldn't help noticing that Callie looked none-too-pleased at the prospect of her estranged wife heading to Africa for six months to oversee the work. Alex would be going as well, though only for three months. Cristina briefly wondered who would be in charge of the house in his absence and made a mental note to ask him about it. Meanwhile, a long drawn out discussion ensued as to how to handle the simultaneous extended vacancies that would occur in pediatrics until everyone finally agreed that a list of options would be compiled and discussed at the next meeting.

Owen was up next. He only attended meetings when his presence was absolutely necessary and today, given all of the personnel decisions that needed to be made, it most definitely was. Cristina had managed to avoid him for the entire week following the incident in the storeroom, but this time there would be no escape as Owen weighed in on the staffing issues and presented his report on the aftermath of the super storm. He would also be requesting the reinstatement of a physical office space for the Chief of Surgery. Officially, it would be presented as a central command center for the department but off-the-record the board knew that Owen also wanted a safe and comfortable place for Ethan to hang out when he was at the hospital, which would be often. Cristina envisioned some sort of office/man-cave/tree house hybrid as she flashed back momentarily to Owen and Ethan sliding down the pole in the firehouse.

The firehouse. What a debacle that had been. Cristina gave an involuntary shiver, which, to her dismay, didn't go unnoticed by Owen. Though only the briefest flicker of curiosity crossed his face, Cristina felt like he could see right through her and immediately averted her eyes. She made a point of studying Appendix C of her information packet very intently.

The report went on for a good twenty minutes. Yet Cristina was oddly riveted as she snuck an occasional glance at Owen. Musing idly that the blue shirt brought out his eyes, she allowed her gaze to linger on his broad shoulders and slim hips appreciatively. _Stop it!_ She chided herself for even going there but marveled none the less at how he somehow managed to make purchase orders sound sexy. _Who does that?_ He'd moved on to the proposed office now and as he elaborated on the details she found herself completely mesmerized by his voice, warm and deep.

_"I miss you. I think about you all the time. I __ache__ for you, Cristina."_ _Her pulse quickened a little. "You will always be the woman I love". She inhaled deeply as he nuzzled her curls. "Don't you miss us? What we are together? Why are we apart?" He was so close now and she felt Owen's breath on her neck as his arms snaked around her waist, hands cupping her…_

"Cristina?"

Cristina jolted upright with a start.

Avery continued, "Are you alright?"

Embarrassed, Cristina shot Jackson a withering look as Owen looked on, head tilted, his blue eyes unfathomable.

"Sorry," she said, tersely, "I was thinking about…my research project."

"Okay," Jackson said, his tone perplexed. "But we need your vote." She looked at him blankly. "On Chief Hunt's request for an office," he prompted.

"Right. Of course. Yes. It's fine. I vote 'yes'" she said gamely, as if daring Avery to question her in any way.

"Great. Motion passes. If there's nothing else, I move that this meeting be adjourned," Jackson said.

"Seconded," Cristina said, a little too brightly.

"All in favor?" he asked. They grunted unanimously in response, pushing back their chairs. "Thank you everyone!"

Rising quickly, Callie bolted out of the room as Arizona looked on, sighing. Derek said goodbye to Meredith, who had attended the meeting virtually from home, before disconnecting her and packing up. Seeing Jackson and Owen engaged in conversation, Cristina gathered her things quickly and moved to leave, wishing she were anywhere else at the moment.

"Cristina! Can I have a word?" Cristina sighed before turning around and facing Owen, who was gazing at her intently.

She forced what she hoped was a very professional smile and said, "Of course."

"I have something of yours," he said, bending down and pulling two boxes out from under the table. "I found the books you were looking for the other night." His face remained neutral as he awaited her response, but his eyes twinkled mischievously.

_Really?_ She thought, examining the boxes which were, indeed, labeled 'textbooks'. _We're going to do this? Fine. I can play this game, too._

"Thank you," she said evenly. "That was thoughtful." _And entirely unnecessary. You know it. I know it. _"I'll just take them now." _Bring it on._

"Noooooo…," Owen said. "They're extremely heavy." Cristina started to protest. "I'll carry them for you," he insisted. "Where would you like them, your research lab or your car?"

Cristina sighed, deciding her best move was to get this over with as quickly as possible. "The lab will be fine. I assume we're doing this now?"

"Might as well," he said, knowing better than to say another word. Instead, he picked up the boxes silently and followed her out the door.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Arizona stood in the doorway to the scrub room. "Callie…"

Callie continued to scrub her hands vigorously, saying nothing.

"You can't ignore me forever." Arizona paused in frustration. "Calliope! We need to talk about this."

Callie wheeled around, fury on her face. "You want to talk? Because last time we 'talked' _you_ did the talking. It didn't seem to matter much what I had to say."

"That's not fair," Arizona countered.

"It's not," Callie agreed. "Nothing about this has been fair. Not from the minute you got on that damn plane. And I have made mistakes. But so have you. At least I'm trying."

"And I'm not?"

"When you got home from Germany…when you told me you accepted that I _had_ to cut off your leg…that you _got _that…I thought for a minute that maybe we'd be okay. And then in the next _breath _you said you were going back to Africa…not asking me…_telling_ me…I realized that you are going to do what you want to do and I don't get a vote."

"I don't know who I am anymore!" Arizona cried, desperately. "I don't know who I am. Please understand…"

Tears glistened in Callie's eyes. "I understand. I understand that rather than fight for our marriage you're going to Africa, no matter what I think about it or how that may affect our daughter. I understand that you are oblivious to my pain. I am hurting, too. You cheated on me. And rather than staying here and facing what you did and what your life is now, you're running away. So go to Africa and find yourself, Arizona. I can't stop you. But don't expect me to be waiting for you when you get back."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"In that corner is fine," Cristina said, pointing. "Thank you."

Owen set the boxes down and turned to face Cristina. He walked slowly across the room.

"You've been avoiding me," he said, his eyes never leaving hers. "All week."

Cristina didn't reply. She held his gaze a moment longer before looking away and muttering, "Fine. I'm avoiding you. We both know why." They locked eyes again. He was still coming towards her. She backed into the counter as he stopped right in front of her.

"I don't know why," he said, innocently. He gently pushed a tendril of hair off of her face, brushing her cheek with his fingertips as he did so. "Explain it to me again. Why we can't be together…"

She tilted her head up at him, brown eyes meeting blue. "We've got to stop this, Owen," she sighed. "We've got to stop."

He leaned in more closely, his mouth barely above her own, teasing her with his proximity. "You want me to stop?" His hands were in her hair now as he moved to kiss her. "Say the word and I will stop…"

Cristina opened her mouth to speak but, instead, with a moan, pulled Owen towards her, crushing his lips with her own as he wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his embrace. She closed her eyes as they pulled each other closer, the heat between them rising as their kisses grew deeper and more intense.

Cristina gasped as Owen lifted her up onto the counter. His mouth suckled her neck as his hands roamed everywhere, making her body arch towards his in pleasure. Then moving back to her mouth, his lips parted hers and their tongues found each other, darting playfully, then passionately as he leaned her back onto the counter.

"What are we doing?" Cristina panted, sweat glistening on her chest.

"Finishing what we started," Owen said, huskily, his own body taut in anticipation. He began to pull off her scrub top as his phone rang. They both jumped and Owen cursed under his breath. "I've got to check this," he said apologetically. "Ethan's in school."

He stepped away from the counter looking puzzled as he glanced at the screen. "This is Owen Hunt."

A moment later Cristina's eyes widened in concern as she saw the color drain from Owen's face.

"Is it Ethan?" she whispered.

He shook his head and mouthed, "My mom," while motioning for paper and pen.

Jumping down from the counter, Cristina searched quickly and handed him a yellow pad and pencil.

"Yes, I'm her son." He jotted some notes as he listened. Finally he said, "Thank you. I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone.

"What happened?" Cristina asked. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know," Owen said quietly, his eyes dark. "My mom's in the ER at Seattle Presbyterian. They're not quite sure how she got there. She may have driven herself. She's confused. She doesn't seem to know who she is." Cristina could hear the note of anxiety in his voice and watched his brain click into another gear as he began to deal with the situation. "They got my number from her phone. I need to get there. Now."

"Okay," Cristina said, her mind springing into action. "What needs to be done? What can I do to help?"

"I need to get Ethan from school. Friday's a half-day." He thought out loud. "Callie's in surgery. Maybe I could ask Shepherd…"

"No, no, no," Cristina said, thinking quickly. "Derek should go with you." Seeing Owen's confusion, she added, "He's like The World's Best Neurosurgeon. Utilize him."

She had a point. "You're right," he said. "That's a good idea. But it doesn't solve my problem."

Cristina hesitated, then said, "I could get Ethan."

Owen looked stunned. "Cristina, you don't have to do that. Don't you have surgery?"

"I don't actually," she said. "A few consults, which can be rescheduled, and working in the lab. It's fine." He looked uncertain. "I own the hospital. I can give myself a few hours off and get Ethan. Really. Call the school and let them know I'm coming. Text me the contact information: school name, address and phone number. I'll pick him up and bring him to you."

Owen looked at her gratefully and nodded. What a turn things had taken in the last few minutes, their almost-tryst all but forgotten. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Cristina said. "I love…your mom. I want to help. Go on. I'll talk to Derek and then I'll pick up Ethan." On impulse she grabbed his hand, giving it a little squeeze. "Things are going to be alright." She nodded reassuringly.

Owen looked skeptical. "I hope so. Text me when you've got him?"

"Okay."

He reluctantly let go of her hand then headed for the door. He stopped just short and suddenly turned towards her again. 'Ethan needs lunch," he said.

"Not a problem. We'll grab something quick on the way. Now go, I've got this," she said firmly.

"I know you do. Thank you." His eyes lingered on her for just an instant before he turned and left, hurrying down the hall, as Cristina watched him go.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Cristina walked into the school office, scanning the room.

"Dr. Yang!"

Cristina turned her head and saw Ethan sitting in the reception area. He jumped up, waving, and bounded towards her, backpack in hand. "Is Owen okay?"

Cristina looked confused, as she walked to the counter. "Why wouldn't Owen be okay?"

"Isn't there an emergency?" Ethan asked, anxiously. "I've been kinda worried."

"Oh," Cristina said. "Yes, there is an emergency, but it's not Owen. It's his mom. She's at the hospital. No one told you that?" She recalled her own heightened anxiety after her father had died. "I'm sorry you were worried. Owen's just fine. Hold on…"

A woman Cristina assumed was the school secretary had come to the counter. "May I help you?"

"Um, yes," Cristina said. "I'm Cristina Yang. I'm here to pick up Ethan, for Dr. Hunt."

The woman perked up immediately at the mention of Owen's name. "Of course. Dr. Hunt called to let us know you were coming. I just need to see photo ID, please."

Cristina rummaged in her bag and handed the woman her driver's license.

"Thank you," the secretary said, giving it back to her. "Just sign here..."

Cristina scribbled her signature on the log-out sheet. "Anything else?"

"No, you're all set. See you on Monday, Ethan."

"Bye, Mrs. Brooks," he replied, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He turned to Cristina. "What are you doing?"

"Texting Owen. He wanted to know when I had you," she said, pressing 'send'. "Come on, my car's out front."

As they walked to the parking lot, Cristina's phone rang. She unlocked the car and motioned for Ethan to get inside, then slid behind the wheel.

"Hey, what's going on? Everything okay?" She listened intently for a moment, then frowned. "Really? She doesn't even know your name? I'm so sorry. Is Derek there yet?" Another pause. Cristina glanced at her watch. "He should be there, soon, then." She listened again and then nodded in understanding. Realizing Ethan was watching her intently, she chose her next words carefully. "So you think under the circumstances maybe you could use a little more time before I drop Ethan off? Um, hmmm…I think that would be good. No, it's no problem. Okay, then. We'll call you in a few hours. Bye."

"What's going on?" Ethan said the moment she hung up the phone.

Cristina turned to him, weighing how much information he needed. "Change of plans. Owen's mom isn't doing very well right this minute, and Owen is dealing with a lot. Paperwork, medical stuff…" _Trying to not completely come undone._ She thought of Owen all alone and wished she were with him. But then realized that this was probably just as important, if not more so. _He's already a good dad._ "We think it's better if you and I hang out for little while before I take you over there."

"But I thought you said she's at the hospital? I go there all the time," Ethan said.

"Oh. No. Mrs. Hunt is at the hospital, but not our hospital. That's part of the problem. We're not in charge. She's at Seattle Presbyterian…" Cristina said, remembering in that instant that that was where Ethan's father had died.

A cloud passed over Ethan's face. "Oh," he said.

"Yeah. So, you and I are going to get some lunch and, maybe, a movie? Does that sound okay?" Cristina asked, uncertainly. She had pulled up some options on her phone. "What about STAR TREK?"

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Derek Shepherd scanned the waiting room. He finally spotted Hunt in the corner and strode towards him. "Owen!"

Owen looked up and then stood as the two men shook hands. "Derek. Thanks for coming."

"Sorry it took me so long to get here," Derek replied, sinking down into a chair next to his friend. "Nothing is ever simple. How's your mom? What do we know?"

"Not much," Owen said. "I saw her briefly. She was extremely disoriented…didn't even know my name, although she seemed to recognize me. It's looking like she had a stroke, but, of course, I have no test results because _here_ I am just "the son", not the Chief of Surgery."

Derek nodded sympathetically. "It's hard being the person waiting for information instead of doling it out."

"Exactly, which is why as soon as she's stable I'm having her transferred."

"I assume they couldn't give her t-PA?"

Owen shook his head. "No way to confirm the timeline."

"Well, hopefully she'll be on our turf tomorrow and I can give her a good going over," Derek said.

"Yeah, I hope so," Owen replied. "Thanks for coming all the way over here. I appreciate it."

"No worries." They sat in silence for several minutes before Derek finally asked, "So…Ethan's spending the day with Cristina?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah, I was really surprised when she offered."

Derek considered that. "I'm not. I don't think I've ever met anyone as loyal as Cristina Yang. And she always comes through in a crisis."

"That's true," Owen agreed. "I hadn't thought about it like that."

They were quiet again for a long moment before it all came spilling out, "I've got to get her back, Shepherd. I need to get her back."

Derek hesitated, not knowing quite what to say. "She still loves you. Meredith is sure of it. She says Cristina is giving you up for your own good…because you want kids, she doesn't…that's a tough nut to crack. How're you planning on doing it?"

Owen sighed. "I have no idea. We keep going around and around and around over the kids thing. We get back together, we break up again and every time we break up it hurts more than the time before. I don't know what to do anymore."

"You love each other," Derek offered. "Surely that's something."

"Love has never been our problem," Owen said simply. "What if love isn't enough? We fundamentally disagree on children. I don't know if that's something that can be overcome. Every time I think we're making progress, it all comes to back to that and everything goes to hell. I do know this. I'm miserable without her."

"Even having Ethan?" Derek asked, surprised.

"Ethan is great. I love having him and he's fulfilled that part of me that needs a child to love and care for, but Ethan doesn't make up for losing Cristina. It tempers the loss, I guess," Owen said, recalling how utterly devastated he had been when Cristina had fled to Minnesota. "But it's apples and oranges. Cristina is the woman I love. At the end of the day, I want them both. I need them both. And I don't know if there's any way I get to have that."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"That was awesome!" Ethan exclaimed. "Wait 'til Owen hears about the volcano!"

"The volcano was 'awesome,'" Cristina agreed, "despite there being a very clear violation of The Prime Directive."

"But Spock would have _died_," Ethan said, "Kirk _had _to do it! And what about John Harrison turning out to be…"

"Stop! Owen doesn't want to know all the movie's secrets before he's seen it. He hates that. No spoiling. Promise me."

Ethan grumbled, "Fine. I promise. But we're not gonna be able to talk about it at _all_!"

"That's where you're wrong," Cristina said. "Since Owen will want to be able to talk to you about it, he will have to see the movie, which means you get to go again. See how that works?"

"You're right!" Ethan said, grinning. "You are a Super Genius!"

"I know, it's a gift," she replied. "Oooh! Ice cream. Want some?"

"Yeah," Ethan said, shaking his head in amazement.

"What?" she said as they walked toward the ice cream parlor.

"Nothing. It's just…you eat a lot," he said, giggling. "No offense."

Recalling the hamburgers, fries, and Cokes they had consumed for lunch followed by popcorn at the movies, Cristina couldn't really disagree. "I guess I do," she admitted. "But I still want ice cream."

A few minutes later they sat on a bench, cones in hand. Cristina was making short work of 'Death by Chocolate' as Ethan polished off 'Superman'.

"We'd better call Owen," she said, pulling out her phone and dialing.

"Hey. We're out of the movie. How's your mom?" She shook her head as Ethan pantomimed 'speaker phone' and closed her eyes, trying to focus on Owen's words. "Honestly, I think you're in for a long night. We need a Plan B. Hold on…"

Turning to Ethan she said, "I need a minute to talk to Owen. Please stop poking me."

She put the phone to her ear again. "Sorry about that. Have you talked to Callie?" She paused, again, listening. "Oh, god, that's awful. She must be gutted. You know what? Don't even ask her. She doesn't need more right now. Why don't I just take Ethan home? And before you say anything, it's not a problem. I'm happy to do it." Cristina thought for a moment. "See if Callie can do tomorrow instead. I've got tonight covered. Take as long as you need. We'll be fine." She whipped her head around and glared at Ethan, who was tugging on her arm intently. "Yes. I'll tell him. Bye."

She hung up and turned to Ethan again. "Really? How am I supposed to concentrate when you do stuff like that?" she said in an exasperated voice.

"Sorry, Dr. Yang," Ethan said, glumly. "I just wanted to know what's going on."

His face was so contrite that she backpedaled a bit. "I know you do and now I can tell you. I'm not mad, by the way, and, for heaven's sake, call me Cristina," she said, exhaling. "Basically, everything is just taking a long time, because things always take a long time in a hospital, which, unfortunately, you know all too well." He nodded solemnly. "So Owen's going to be there for hours and there's no reason for you to have to endure that. I realize you'd normally go to Callie's, but she's just out of surgery and she's…dealing with a lot tonight. So I'm taking you home. Owen can't talk now. The doctor just came to give him an update. But he'll check in when he can. It may or may not be before bedtime. Now you may ask questions."

He was quiet for a minute and then asked, "Is Mrs. Hunt going to die? I like her."

Cristina sighed. "I like her, too. I don't know, Ethan. I hope not. But they don't even know what's wrong with her yet, so let's not get ahead of ourselves."

They sat in silence and then Ethan finally said, "Do you still have a mother?"

Taken aback, Cristina paused before answering him. "I do. I don't talk to her often. We're not close."

"Do you have a dad?"

"I have a step-dad," Cristina said, "but my dad died."

"Were you a grown up?"

"No, I was nine years old."

Ethan's eyes widened. "Wow. How did he die?"

Cristina took a deep breath. _So many questions. _"We were in a car accident."

"And the doctors couldn't save him?"

"The doctors never got the chance to save him. He bled out before the ambulance arrived."

"Were you with him?" Ethan asked. "Was it scary?"

"I was with him," Cristina said. If she closed her eyes, she could still see her father dying, as if it were yesterday instead of so long ago. "And it was very scary."

"I was with my dad when he died," Ethan confided softly.

She considered what to say. "I know. I'm really sorry."

"I miss him. I miss both my parents. Do you still miss your dad?"

"I do," Cristina replied. "Every day."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Tell me this all going to be worth it," Alex said, dumping another huge box on the table.

"It will be," Arizona replied, "once we get there. In the meantime we've got a lot to do. Find me the requisitions list so we can cross reference." She looked up from her work. "How is Wilson taking the news about you going away for three months?"

Karev shrugged as he dug through files. "She's mad. But it's happening, so she's gonna have to deal. It's not like I want to leave her behind but I can't change it. It'll be fine, right? 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' or some crap like that?"

"Or 'Out of sight, out of mind,'" Arizona replied darkly.

Alex looked up at her in surprise. "Not exactly bubbles and sunshine today are you?" He cocked his head, connecting the dots. "Torres pissed about Africa?"

"You could say that."

"You two gonna be okay? 'Cuz if you go belly up, there's no hope for the rest of us."

"It's not looking good," Arizona said quietly. "We're separating…"

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Miss. B3."

"Hit. G8."

"Miss. B4."

"Hit." Cristina threw up her hands. "Seriously? You sank my battleship!"

"Hah!" Ethan said in triumph. "I win!"

"Yes, you do," Cristina said irritably. "No need to gloat."

Ethan grinned. "You're just mad that you lost."

Cristina didn't even try to deny it. "What can I say? I hate to lose."

Ethan furrowed his brow. "But that's poor sportsmanship!"

"It is," Cristina confessed. "I never quite mastered how to be gracious in defeat. Sorry."

"Wanna play again?" Ethan asked. "Maybe you'll win this time."

"No, we'd better clean up. The food will be here soon." Seeing the disappointment on his face she found herself adding, "I guess we could play after dinner. But something else. A game that requires actual skill."

"Hmmm…" he pondered. "We have Clue, Scrabble, Yahtzee…"

Cristina tried to remember how long it had been since she had played a board game. It must have been decades.

"Do you have Monopoly?" she asked. "I'm excellent at Monopoly."

"Yeah, we have it. Prepare to lose," Ethan goaded her as the doorbell rang. "Pizza's here!"

"You wish!" Cristina retorted, as she grabbed her wallet. When she returned a few minutes later, pizza and salad in her hands, she was surprised to see that Ethan had put placemats, napkins, and forks on the table. There were plates out on the counter and he was getting out glasses.

"What do you want to drink?" he asked. "We have water and lemonade and Coke."

"I don't suppose there's any wine?"

Ethan crinkled his nose skeptically. "I don't think so." He rummaged in the refrigerator. "There's beer…"

"Never mind," Cristina said, thinking better of it. "Lemonade will be fine. And shouldn't you be drinking milk?" She was suddenly glad that she'd thought to order the salad.

"I guess. Can it be chocolate milk?"

Thinking fast, she said, "What would Owen say?"

The look on Ethan's face said it all.

"There's your answer. You need help pouring?" Seeing his incredulous look, she quickly recanted. "Sorry. Just asking."

A few minutes later, they sat side by side at the table. "So walk me through this. Bedtime is an extremely general concept to me. What's going to be required? And be honest. Or I'll get in trouble. No messing with me," she said with a smile.

"Lights out at 9:30, but I'm usually in bed by nine. Owen lets me read."

"Hmmm…what are you reading?" she asked.

"Percy Jackson. _The Lightning Thief_. It's really good."

"Are you supposed to take a shower?" she asked, inwardly panicking a little at the thought of having to bathe an eleven-year old boy.

"Yeah. And wash my hair and brush and floss my teeth." She must have had quite an expression on her face because he quickly added, "I do all of that myself."

"Oh. Right," Cristina said, relieved. "Of course. Sorry. I don't have much experience with kids. Um…so how long will all of that take?"

Ethan shrugged. "If I go up by 8:30, I should be good."

"Excellent. That gives us plenty of time for me to kick your butt in Monopoly."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Owen sat in a chair by his mother's bedside as she slept, rubbing his temples. _What a day._ He shifted his position a bit and stretched his legs. His right foot had gone tingly.

"Owen?" Mrs. Hunt opened her eyes slowly and looked around, getting her bearings.

He looked up sharply. "I'm here, Mom." He reached over and took her hand. "You're in the hospital. Do you remember how you got here?" He watched her intently.

She thought a moment. "I think maybe I drove myself?"

He nodded. "Yes, you did. What's your name?"

She looked at him oddly. "Sarah Imogen Hunt."

"And what's your birthday?"

"November 20th…I must have been really out of it," she said, sitting up in the bed.

"You could say that."

"What on earth happened?"

"We're not sure. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow. I'd like to transfer you to Grey Sloan Memorial. That way Derek Shepherd can check you out thoroughly." He nodded to emphasize his point.

"Alright. Whatever you think is best." She gave a sudden start. "It's very late. Where's Ethan?"

"He's at home…with Cristina."

She gave him a curious look. "With Cristina. That's interesting."

"Mom, stop. I needed to get here and Cristina offered to pick up Ethan. It doesn't mean anything."

"It most certainly does mean something. How long has she been with him?"

"I don't know. About…" Owen checked his watch. "…thirteen hours." _Could that be right? _

Sarah nodded knowingly. "But it means nothing…"

"Mom…"

"Owen, that girl loves you. It's plain as day. She's taking care of him as a way of taking care of _you_."

"You think?" The words caught in his throat a little. "Really?"

"Of course. No doubt in my mind whatsoever." She squeezed his hand. "You love her, son. You two belong together. What are you going to do to get her back?"

Knowing she would never offer unsolicited advice, he replied, "I'm open to suggestions."

Sarah thought carefully for a moment. "I can tell you this," she said. "In my experience, whenever I've had difficulty finding the solution to a problem, it's usually because I've been asking the wrong questions."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Owen crept into the firehouse as quietly as possible, hoping he wouldn't wake Cristina and Ethan. He was bone tired, yet he couldn't help dwell on the fleeting thought that crossed his mind as he climbed the stairs: Cristina and Ethan were both asleep in the house. How he wished that could always be the case, that the three of them could somehow be a family. For a moment the sense of longing overwhelmed him but he tried to shake it off as he walked into the main room. Cristina was asleep on the couch. He smiled as he saw her curled up into a tiny ball, her arms around a pillow.

After checking on Ethan, Owen stopped in the bathroom and washed his face and hands, wanting desperately to wash off the grime of the day, yet knowing that if he tried to shower, he'd likely fall asleep standing up. It would have to wait. He walked to the kitchen, mindful of the fact that he'd need to be back to Seattle Presbyterian in a few short hours. He'd need caffeine to even have a prayer of functioning in the morning, so he went to set up the coffee maker then realized Cristina had already done it.

He heard a rustling noise and turned to find Cristina sitting up on the couch stretching.

"Hey," she said, sleepily. "When did you get in?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I'm sorry I woke you."

"I wasn't sleeping very deeply. I was listening for you. Come here. Tell me about your mom. How is she?"

Owen sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "Better. She's acting like herself again. If you didn't know any better, you'd never know there'd been a problem. She's still getting a full work up tomorrow. Something caused that and I want to know what it is."

He leaned his head back and sighed, so exhausted he was almost sick.

"I'm sorry you had such an awful day," Cristina said.

He crooked his head and smiled at her. "It wasn't all bad," he said, thinking back to their make out session in the lab. Even in the dark room he could see her cheeks flush a bit.

Cristina started to get up. "You're so tired. I should go."

"Cristina, it's two o'clock in the morning. You're not going anywhere." He saw her wavering and pushed further. "Please don't go. Stay here with me. Please."

Cristina sighed. Logically she knew this was a very bad idea, but she couldn't resist, especially when he looked so spent. _Oh, screw it. _She patted her lap. "Come on."

His eyes widened, questioning. _Really?_ He decided he wouldn't give her time to change her mind. He stretched out on the couch, his head in her lap and settled in happily, deciding to savor the moment.

"How'd you and Ethan do today?" he asked, yawning. "I really can't thank you enough for watching him for me."

"We had fun," Cristina said truthfully. "He's a nice kid. I like him." A look crossed Owen's face for the briefest moment. "What?"

"Nothing," Owen said. "Just something my mom said. I have to think about it some more." He shifted his position slightly. "She asked about you. She's hoping you'll come by and visit her tomorrow."

"I can do that. I'll be working all day anyway. I'll swing by in the afternoon."

"She'd like that. Oh. And I texted with Callie. She's taking Ethan in the morning."

Owen's eyes were closed now and Cristina could hear his breathing getting heavy and slow as she stroked his arm. He'd be asleep any second and knew she should try to sleep as well. It was so late. Or early. Depending on how you looked at it. Instead, Cristina found herself wide awake. And wondering what the hell she was doing at the firehouse in the middle of the night, cradling the man she loved, but could not have, in her arms.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Owen awoke to the smell of coffee wafting through the air. He was disoriented for a moment, before remembering that he was on the couch. He sat bolt upright with a start. "Cristina?" He looked around and saw Ethan poking his head out of his bedroom.

"Cristina left," Ethan said, walking into the kitchen. He was dressed already and started to get himself some cereal. "Want some breakfast?"

"Yeah, thanks. How long ago did she leave?"

Ethan thought for a moment. "Not that long. About forty-five minutes?" he said, looking at the clock on the microwave. She said she needed to get cleaned up before work." He put the cereal box away and went to the refrigerator for milk. "How's your mom?"

"A little better, I think." Owen walked to the kitchen as well and started to prepare his coffee; a mug for now and a thermos to take with him. He sat down at the table as Ethan brought their bowls and spoons. "What's on your mind?" Owen could tell by the way the boy was quietly fretting that something was up.

Ethan looked up from his cereal. "I dunno," he said, hesitantly. "I just…I heard Cristina say that your mom didn't know who you were…My mom didn't know who I was…" His lip quivered.

Owen sighed as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Ethan. It's true that my mom didn't know me yesterday. She didn't know her own name or even how she got to the hospital. But later that night, she knew all of those things and seemed completely herself. We even had a talk and she gave me good advice. She was my mom again." He took a swallow of his coffee.

"The brain is very complicated. Sometimes we don't know why it does what it does. That's why we're going to transfer my mom to Grey Sloan Memorial this morning. So Dr. Shepherd can examine her brain and hopefully figure things out. In fact, you and I need to get going as soon as we can. As soon as we finish eating, I'll take a quick shower and then we're out of here. I need to get to the hospital."

"Am I going with you?" Ethan asked.

Owen shook his head. "You're spending the day with Callie and Sofia. There's no telling how long any of this will take, so I'll drop you off and then head out."

Owen took a bite of cereal and decided to change the subject. "So… how did you and Cristina get along yesterday?"

"Fine," Ethan replied. "She's nice."

"Why do you sound surprised?" Owen asked wryly.

"I dunno. I guess because I didn't really know her before. She was just my dad's doctor. But now we're friends."

Owen smiled. "That's good. What did you guys do?"

"She took me to lunch and to see STAR TREK. It was really cool. You need to see it. And we got ice cream." He grinned. "For such a small person, she eats a lot."

Owen laughed out loud. "She does. Especially for someone who doesn't cook. Do you have any homework this weekend?"

"Nope. Cristina made me finish it last night. She helped me with my math. She's really smart." He paused to take another bite and swallow. "We played games when we got home. I beat her at Battleship but she won Monopoly. Totally crushed me. I had her download Temple Run 2 to her tablet," he said. "She's really bad at it. And she hates it when the gorilla eats her. It's so funny. She gets really mad!"

"I'll bet she does," Owen said, amused, "but be warned. The next time you play her, she'll be much better. Count on it." Ethan was drinking the milk from the bowl. "Go brush your teeth and comb your hair, then you can watch a show while I get ready."

"'K!" Ethan said. He rinsed his bowl and spoon and put them in the dishwasher before trotting off, leaving Owen at the table to consider the enigma that was Cristina Yang. And pondering what his next move should be.

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"And you just got home this morning?" Meredith asked, incredulously. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. One thing just led to another," Cristina said. "Hold on. Let me put you on speaker phone. I need to keep getting ready…okay, go."

"Where did you sleep?"

"On the couch," Cristina said, defensively. "…with Owen's head on my lap."

"Cristina!" This was getting juicy.

"I know. I shouldn't have. I just…couldn't help myself." She shivered a little at the memory, smiling to herself at how peaceful Owen had looked, asleep in her arms.

"You know how I feel," Meredith said. "I think it's great. Don't feel the slightest bit guilty. The only one who thinks that was a bad idea is you. I guarantee you Owen was fine with it. "

"I can't keep sending him mixed signals, Mer. It's not fair," Cristina said, pulling her hair up and twisting it into place. She paused and then added, "We kissed yesterday." And how. "If Owen hadn't gotten the call about his mom, I'm not sure we would have stopped at kissing." She heard a squeal. "Was that you?"

"No," Meredith said, laughing. "That was Zola. But she speaks for us both."

"He has a kid now!" Cristina protested.

"I know! And it's perfect!" Meredith said. "Owen has the kid he wants. And Ethan's eleven. Way past all the stages you hate. You said you two had fun yesterday. Plus Owen is his guardian, not you. You'd have all of the perks with none of the responsibility. In this equation, Owen's the 'parent'. You're the Cool Aunt."

"That is a total oversimplification and you know it. It's not just about changing diapers or wiping snotty noses. To say I'd have no responsibility is ridiculous. If I get involved I'll get attached. And before you know it I'll be a freakin' soccer mom!" Cristina took a breath to calm down. "This is a very slippery slope. I know you mean well, but just…dial it back a few notches, okay?" She grabbed her shoes. "I've got to get work. I'll talk to you later."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Hi, Callie," Ethan said as Callie opened the door. Her eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks streaked with tears. Ethan's face scrunched in concern. "Are you okay?" He glanced at Owen.

"Hi, Ethan," she said, managing a smile. "Sofia's in the other room. She's very excited you're spending the day with us. I am, too. Come on in…"

"Ethan, why don't you go play with Sofia? I need to talk to Callie for a minute."

Ethan gave Owen an uncertain look but simply nodded, saying, "Okay. See you later. Bye!"

"Bye." Once Ethan was out of ear shot, Owen said to Callie, "I'm so sorry about you and Arizona…"

Callie burst into tears.

Eyes wide, Owen hastily folded her into a big hug and tried to think of something soothing to say as she sobbed quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked a few minutes later, patting her back awkwardly.

Callie pulled away, sniffling. "Yeah," she said, rubbing her nose with a tissue, "but that's going to be a looong conversation and you have to go, so we'll save it for another time."

She patted her eyes and tried to recover herself. "I know," she said, brightening considerably. "Let's talk about you and Cristina, instead."

The sudden about face caught him completely off guard. "Callie…"

"What? I meddle. That's what I do. Most people find it endearing."

"I wouldn't go that far." Frowning he added, "I know that look. What are you up to?"

"Never you mind," she said, practically shooing him out the door. She had had a sudden flash of inspiration and planned to interrogate Ethan as soon as Owen was gone. Appropriately, of course, but thoroughly none the less. She was on a mission. It might be too late for her and Arizona, but Owen and Cristina could still be saved. With the right intervention. "You need to go. We'll be fine. Keep us updated. Bye, now."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

"Damn it!"

Cristina narrowed her eyes in irritation. After several hours of working in the lab she had finally taken a break and was immersed in Temple Run 2. To her consternation she had been incinerated by flaming torches. At least it wasn't the gorilla again. Wretched ape.

Cristina stubbornly refused to be bested by an eleven year old and was determined to get better at this game. In fact she intended to keep playing until she achieved a new personal high score, rationalizing both that it was Saturday and that she had earned a diversion.

She defiantly tapped "Run Again" and headed down the path, jumping onto the zip line. She rounded the corner and leaped over the gap in her path, remembering just in time to slide under the stone overpass, and then turned quickly so as to avoid being impaled on a tree. She was picking up speed. The entrance to the mine shaft was in sight. As she shifted right to cross the narrow bridge, her phone pinged with an incoming text. She glanced at the notification, plunging to her death over the edge of a precipice in the process.

The text was from Owen:

"My mom's transferred and settled. When can I see you? It's important."

Curious, Cristina texted back, "I'm free. When and where?"

Seconds later came his reply, "15 minutes. Vent."

oooOOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOooo

Owen strode through the labyrinth of hallways in the depths of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. He was eager to see Cristina yet apprehensive at the same time. He was taking a calculated risk in talking to her. Plus, she hadn't replied to his last text and a tiny part of him wondered if she might not show.

To his relief, when he opened the door to the vent room, she was there, sitting on the step, waiting. She looked up at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

He sat down beside her, blue eyes meeting brown. "Thank you for meeting me," he said, finally. "I wasn't sure you would."

"I wasn't sure I would either," she confessed. The last few days had been so weird, the net result being that a complicated situation had become even more so. And she had freaked a little when he wanted to meet her here. The memories that this room held for her, for them, muddied the waters even further. "What's this about?"

"You were right, about me wanting a child," Owen said quietly. "You…saw something in me that I didn't see. Or didn't want to see. I want to thank you. For encouraging me to go to Ethan. He's filled that place in my heart that needs to love and take care of a child."

Cristina started to speak but Owen held up his hands. "Please. Hear me out."

"What I'm not sure you understand," Owen continued, "is that I've traded one problem for another. Without you, I'm just as unhappy as I'd be without him."

Cristina blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I want you in my life, Cristina. I need you." He nodded. "This thing with my mom, it's reminded me that …life is short and it can turn on a dime. Something she said made me think. What if we've been looking at this the wrong way? Asking the wrong questions? We've been talking in very broad strokes. But what we've got is an extremely specific set of circumstances."

Cristina looked at him, uncomprehending. "I don't understand."

"I know. I'm not explaining it well," Owen replied. "Look. I've just got a few minutes. Derek's with my mom and I have to get back. So what if I tell you what's on my mind and you can just…think about it. Don't answer now. Just listen to what I have to say. Are you willing to do that?"

She nodded slowly.

"I'm not asking you to have a baby. Ever. I'm not asking you to adopt anyone. I'm not asking you to like kids." He paused to let that sink in. "Here's what I _am_ asking you to consider."

Owen took a deep breath. "Ethan and I come as a set now. You've said that you like him. Could you see yourself having some sort of relationship with him? Could you be his friend?"

Seeing the doubtful expression on her face, Owen added firmly, "Just his friend. Nothing more. And then, if you could do that, could you see the three of us building a life together? That's what I want. A life with you and Ethan. That's all I want."

He could see her brain working furiously. She felt like her head was going to explode.

Finally she said, carefully, "What would this life look like?"

"I have no idea," he said, honestly. "We'd be building from the ground up." He took her face in his hands and looked her straight in the eyes. "I just know that I still see a Big Life for us, Cristina. All you have to do is say, 'yes'." He cupped her chin and leaned in, giving her a tender kiss on the lips. "I've gotta go. Just think about it."

He stood up and walked out the door, leaving Cristina stunned and speechless in his wake.

_Sooner or later it happens to each of us. We arrive at a fork in the road. Sometimes the catalyst is an emergency of epic proportion. Other times one tiny thing leads to another until we find ourselves down a path we never expected and teetering on the edge of a cliff. Do we have it within us to step up in a crisis? Do we have the guts to boldly say what we want and reach for the brass ring? Do we have the courage to leap into the unknown and have faith that, even if we are afraid, with the help of those who love us, things just might be okay? Anyone can muddle along when things are easy. But it's in the tougher times, when there are no easy answers, that our true mettle shows itself._

This chapter written by **lovemesomeowen**.


	5. Chapter 5 With Or Without You

_It's often said that the first step in facing a fear is acknowledging it exists. The word "doctor" is enough to send some people into a state of panic. It's known as "White Coat Syndrome". They break out in a sweat, their blood pressure rises, and they will do anything and everything to avoid stepping foot into a medical facility. Not only do these people endure a lot of stress, they're also not taking advantage of preventative health care that could save their lives. As physicians, we need to be cognisant of this fear and establish trust with our patients._

At the end of a long day, Cristina stood in the doorway of Owen's newly restored office and watched Ethan. The boy was seated at the desk, his freckled face scrunched up while he played some sort of game on his phone.

_"Could you be his friend? Could you see the three of us building a life together? That's what I want. A life with you and Ethan. That's all I want."_

She hadn't been able to get Owen's words out of her head. The shocking words he just dropped on her, before leaving her on the vent. That had been two days ago. She'd been off work since then, conveniently enabling her to avoid Owen while contemplating his outrageous request.

Ethan looked up and spotted her. His face lit up and the small gesture pleased her somehow.

"Hi Cristina!" He held up the device. "I just got my highest score ever in Temple Run 2!"

"Let me see." She sat down across from him and looked at his score. She chose not to mention that her highest score was half of his. "I really hate the mines. I keep crashing the stupid cart and burning up more gems."

"I really hate it when I miss a jump and fall off the cliff." Ethan grinned.

She smiled back at him, awkwardly wondering what she should say next.

He rescued her. "Hey, I have a question for you ..."

Cristina raised her eyebrows.

"Is it hard to become a doctor?" Ethan asked.

She nodded, emphatically. "Yes. You have to take pre-med and go to medical school. Are you thinking of becoming a doctor?"

"Maybe." He rubbed his nose. "I mean, I've spent a lot of time with doctors this year and I think you guys are cool. But I also think being a firefighter would be awesome. I already have a fire pole."

"That's true." Cristina smiled. "If you do want to be a doctor, you need good grades in Math and Science."

"I have another question," Ethan said, slowly. "How long are we going to live in the firehouse?"

"As long as you want to," she replied. "I haven't really thought about it, but I won't kick you guys out."

"Owen says it's not permanent," he replied. "I wish it was, I really like it."

"It is a beautiful house," Cristina observed. "When I bought it, it was broken down and abandoned. Owen put a lot of work into it and made it a home..." She tried not to think of the happy times they'd shared, before everything fell apart.

"Why did you get divorced?" Ethan immediately looked contrite. "Sorry."

She sat back in her chair and contemplated how she should respond to the question. "We wanted different things. We still do."

"Oh." Ethan's eyes focused beyond her. "Hi Owen."

Heart pounding, Cristina turned around to see Owen standing in the doorway. _How much did he hear?_She stood up.

"Hi." Owen's face was solemn. "Ethan ... could you give us a minute alone?"

"Sure!" The boy jumped up and left the office. Owen closed the door behind him.

"When did you get here?" Cristina asked, crossing her arms in front of herself.

"When he asked why we got divorced." Owen leaned against the desk. "I gave him the same answer once – that we wanted different things. But now ... I wonder if we can be together while both getting what we want. There's no reason why you can't have your career while I have Ethan."

"But you want the three of us to live together!" She scowled. "That was a hell of a bomb you dropped on me!"

He smiled, tentatively. "Yeah. But I meant it."

"I do not want to live with a child!" Cristina snapped. "Before you know it, you'll be trading in your truck for a minivan and expecting me to come home on time for dinner every night. After picking him up from soccer practice, of course!"

Owen's face grew serious. "I just ... I want us to be together. You know that I love you and I know that you love me. Is it ... so hard to not ... like Ethan?"

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "It's like ... you're trying to force me into a role I don't want. I only offered to watch him for the day, not for the rest of my life."

His eyes widened and he stood up. "I'm sorry, Cristina. I'm not trying to change you, I'm asking you ... to ... oh hell. I know I'm going fast, faster than you, but I just can't live without you. I hate going to bed by myself in the firehouse. I ... I can't live there without you much longer. I need to have us together again, I'm going crazy by myself."

The emotion in his voice got to her. She resisted her instinct to take him in her arms and soothe him. "You aren't alone. You have Ethan."

"But I don't have you." Owen's eyes were pleading with her.

"I can not believe you are asking this of me," she sighed.

"Take your time and think about it," he replied. "We've gone through so much already ... surely there is a solution somewhere ... and let me repeat that I'm not asking you to be a mother."

"I really do not see what there is to think about," Cristina said.

"Please think about it," he asked softly. "Really consider it. Because ... if ... your answer is going to be 'no' ... I don't know what I'll do without you. And I'll have to move us out and find another place to live and he's had so much upheaval already-"

"I'll give you the firehouse," she declared. "That's one thing for certain. It's yours."

He slowly shook his head. "I don't want it without you."

"Ugh." She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Okay ... while I continue to think about what you asked of me ... I want you to think about my offer. Of keeping the firehouse no matter what."

Owen nodded. "Okay."

Somberly, Cristina briefly touched his arm, before leaving.

Outside, on the bridge, Ethan was on the phone. "She just left his office," he reported. "They don't look happy."

"Those two are the poster children for moping," Callie told him. "We definitely need to take action."

Owen motioned at Ethan through the window of his office. "I gotta go now."

"Okay, thanks for the update. Bye!" Callie ended the call.

Ethan tucked his phone away as he went back to the office.

Owen smiled at him. "My mother is doing much better, and she wants to say 'hi' before we go home for the night. Let's pack up."

oOoOo

Cristina stormed down the hallway towards her research lab, thoughts whirling. Just when she thought Owen truly understood and accepted her, he went and asked her to build a life with Ethan. _What am I supposed to be, just his girlfriend? Pretend Ethan doesn't exist?_

Her mood sank further, to see April waiting for her outside of her door. _Great. I'm going to hear more about her stupid love life. Matthew vs. Jackson. I don't care._

"Hi Dr Yang!" April smiled nervously.

"Hello." Cristina unlocked the door and gestured that April was welcome to enter. Shyly, April walked into the room.

"I want to thank you for our 'talk'," she said. "It was very helpful."

"Uh huh." Cristina braced herself for a long emotional outpouring.

April looked at the floor. "I broke up with Matthew."

"Oh." Intrigued, Cristina stood a little straighter.

"I hurt his feelings terribly," April continued, softly. "But I think you were right. It was better to break his heart before marrying him."

"Yes," Cristina replied. "Better to do it sooner rather than later."

"Anyways, that's all I had to say. Have a good evening." April closed the door of the lab behind her.

Wearily, Cristina sank down into her computer chair. She had tried to make things easier for Owen, by breaking up with him on the night of the storm. Why couldn't he see that they just were not meant to last forever?

oOoOo

"Hi!" Sarah Hunt smiled and opened her arms wide as Owen escorted Ethan into her hospital room. "I'm glad I get to see you!"

"Hi." Ethan approached her and let her hug him. "Um, I hope you're feeling better."

"I am," she assured him, as he stepped back. "I can't wait to get discharged and go home."

"That won't happen until I'm sure you're okay," Owen said, before kissing her mother on the cheek. "Derek promised he'll have all of your test results tomorrow."

"Good. The staff is taking very good care of me, but I really want to be in my own bed." She smiled kindly at Ethan, who was looking uncomfortable. "What's wrong, dear?"

He glanced at her. "I really hope Dr Shepherd can find out what is wrong with you."

"Me too. But I feel much better now."

"So did my mom, before she died," he mumbled.

Owen placed a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder, as Sarah smiled compassionately.

"I understand," she told him. "I'm very happy to have you in my family, but I know that the reason why is terrible. I promise you that I'll do my best to stay healthy."

He smiled a little at her, then.

Sarah looked up at Owen. "Have you spoken with Cristina today?"

Owen grimaced, then glanced at Ethan. "Could you give us a couple of minutes?"

"Sure." Ethan waved at Sarah before stepping outside.

"I blew it," Owen confessed. "I asked Cristina to consider being Ethan's friend, not his mother, and I said I wanted a life with the three of us, and it was too soon. I scared her away."

"Did she say no?"

He shook his head. "I've asked her to think about it ... she hasn't said 'no' yet..."

oOoOo

"Daddy!" Zola flung herself at Derek as he entered the house. Chuckling, he dropped his briefcase and picked her up, smooching her cheeks.

"Hello." Meredith came to him, holding their sleepy son. He noted that her complexion was looking rosier, as he moved in for a kiss. "How is Sarah Hunt?"

"She's stable and looking well." Derek took Bailey from her, revelling in the sight of their baby. "I'm waiting for a few more test results, I think I'll be able to make my full diagnosis tomorrow. Have you talked with Cristina lately?"

She sighed. "Not since the other night. I'm giving her some space."

"This isn't one of your epic blow outs, is it?"

Meredith smiled and shook her head. "This is one of those times where Cristina needs to work things out for herself."

oOoOo

The next day, Cristina approached Sarah Hunt's hospital room. Her heart sank to see the older woman looking pale in her bed. Sarah turned to greet her as she entered the room.

Sarah's eyes sparkled a bit. "Hello Cristina."

"Hello." Cristina reached out and touched her shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better."

"I am."

Cristina looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't come by to see you yesterday. I was quite busy."

"I know." Sarah's voice was soft. "You have a lot of responsibility now. It's nice to see you."

"You've got the best care here," Cristina assured her. "As one of the owners, I'll make sure of it."

"My son has taken care of that." Sarah extended a hand to her. "How are you doing? Really?"

Cristina raised her eyebrows but took Sarah's hand. "I'm fine. Really."

"I heard that you took care of Ethan while I was so ill. Thank you."

"I was glad to help out."

"He's a special boy." Sarah looked at her, meaningfully. "He's kind, he's bright, he's brought much joy into our lives."

Cristina withdrew her hand. "He's not bad."

"Owen told me," Sarah confided. "I hope that you will take your time and seriously think about his request. To be Ethan's friend."

"Sarah, you've just been very ill. We shouldn't talk about this." Cristina hastily stood up. "If there's anything that I can do for you while you're here, please let me know." She quickly turned and left the room.

oOoOo

On his way to see his mother, Owen paused when he heard his name called. He turned to see Callie approaching him. "Hey," she smiled. "How's your mom?"

"I'm about to go see her, Derek wants to speak with us," he replied.

"And how is Cristina?"

"Avoiding me," he confessed. "I ... asked her to consider a life with Ethan and me, and now she's put up her walls."

"The classic Cristina move."

"I made it clear that I am not expecting her to have a baby ... I should've waited. I should have ... waited to see if she could build a friendship with him first. I just want her back so damn much ..." He ran his fingers through his hair.

Callie rubbed his arm. "Don't give up. Just let her have some more time."

"It's killing me." He glanced at her and then reconsidered his words. "Callie, I'm sorry. Here I am, rambling on about my own problems, when -"

"-When my marriage has fallen apart and my wife is running off to Africa." She smiled sadly. "I think she'll like Africa more than Cristina liked Minnesota."

Owen pulled her into a hug. "Are you ready to talk about it now? I mean, not now, but maybe later?"

Callie nodded. "Want to have lunch in my office? I'll buy."

"_I'll buy_, you talk."

"Deal."

oOoOo

April stood at the nurses' station and made notes about her latest patient. She looked up as Jackson walked by, and reached out to snag his arm. "Hey."

"Hey." He smiled at her, tentatively. "I hear you're going to take your Boards next week. Good luck."

Her hand gripped his arm tighter as she spoke. "I broke up with Matthew."

Speechless, Jackson's mouth went dry.

"I've decided ... what I want," April continued, composed. "And what I don't."

He continued to stare at her, stunned.

April shrugged. "At least I'll be calmer for my Boards this time, having settled that." She walked away.

Jackson watched her leave, detecting a new confidence in her step. He smiled.

oOoOo

"Sorry I'm late." Owen entered his mother's hospital room, where Derek was waiting.

"It's okay." Derek stood and faced them both. "I have all of the test results now," he said. "Based on what I see on the CAT scan and her test results, I believe that Sarah had a transient ischemic attack – a mini stroke."

Owen took his mother's hand and squeezed it.

"Fortunately, I don't see any long-lasting effects." Derek smiled reassuringly at the older woman. "What I do see is that your blood pressure has been hovering in the normal to high range since you were admitted at Seattle Presbyterian. I'm going to keep you here one more night for observation, and if all is well in the morning, I'll discharge you and refer you to your family physician to discuss your blood pressure medications and what can be done to prevent another stroke."

"Thank you Dr Shepherd," she said, looking pale.

"You're lucky," Owen told her. "I'm so glad it wasn't worse."

oOoOo

All of the windows of Alex's house were lit up when Cristina parked her car in front. She gritted her teeth and entered the house, trying to ignore the loud music and drunk interns in the living room.

"Hey!" Cristina found Alex packing up some boxes in the basement. "When is this going to stop?"

He shrugged.

"What's going to happen to the house when you leave for Africa?" She demanded.

"Jo's going to live here," Alex informed her. "She's still pissed that I'm leaving so ... I told her she could housesit for me."

"Some landlord you are," Cristina replied. "This place is like _Animal House_."

"Hey!" Alex turned to her. "I didn't put an ad out for a roommate, you know. You showed up and informed me that you would be staying. I got enough on my mind without worrying about your feelings. Go move back in with Hunt if you don't like it here."

oOoOo

The following afternoon, Sarah Hunt beamed as Owen opened the door of her house for her. "So good to be back here again."

He smiled. "I'm glad that you can come home. Now sit down and relax."

"Very well." Contentedly, she settled into her favorite chair. She smiled as Ethan brought her bag into the house. "Just put it down there. Thank you."

He put the suitcase down and shifted uncomfortably.

She frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Ethan glanced at her. "Are you really okay?"

"Yes! I feel very good. And Dr Shepherd personally examined me before discharging me."

"And I went over her test results in minute detail." Owen touched his mother's shoulder. "Want me to make some tea?"

"That would be great, thank you." She smiled at Owen as he went into the kitchen.

Ethan crept a little closer to Sarah. "What am I supposed to call you?"

Gently, she reached out and took one of the boy's hands. "Well, what do you want to call me?"

"I have a grandmother already," Ethan said slowly. "And I call Owen 'Owen' because I have a Dad..."

"You know, I think of you as my grandson now," Sarah confided. "But if you don't want to call me 'Grandma', I understand. I am very grateful that you have your Grandmother Nancy, after losing your parents."

He smiled a little. "She's going to visit Seattle next month."

"Will you bring her here for a visit?" Sarah squeezed his hand. "I want to meet her, as she is a part of your family. And I want to tell her what a good job Owen is doing, taking care of you."

Ethan nodded. "I'm happy that I live with him and not a foster family. He's very nice to me and we have a lot of fun together."

"And I'm happy too."

He smiled shyly at her. "Then I'll call you 'Grandma'."

"I would love that."

Ethan's smile turned mischievous. "Do you know Callie?"

"I met her at Owen's wedding, and she dropped by my room yesterday, on behalf of the hospital. Nice lady."

He shifted closer to her. "Can I tell you a secret?"

oOoOo

Meredith looked at her infant son in her arms, who was nodding off. She held her breath, hoping he would fall asleep and let her rest.

Bailey stirred as the doorbell rang. "Damn it!" Meredith grumbled as she went to the front door and opened it. To her surprise, Cristina was standing on the doorstep, holding a bag and her purple duvet. "Well hello."

"Hi." Cristina grimaced. "Can I stay in Derek's depression trailer?"

"You'd better come in." Meredith gestured for her to enter. "Did Alex kick you out?"

"I kicked myself out. Too many parties. And I found one of the interns making out with someone in my room. Gross!" She dumped her stuff on the floor.

Meredith tried to soothe her son as he began to fuss. "I guess the firehouse is out?"

"You would not believe what Owen asked!" Cristina exploded. "He asked me to think about being Ethan's friend and then moving in with them!"

"'Friend' sounds nice," Meredith observed, her eyes on her son.

"'Friend' could very well become 'new mom'," Cristina countered. "So I've been avoiding Owen."

Meredith sighed. "Cristina, we can't keep doing this."

"What?"

"I have two children who need me right now," the blonde woman pointed out. "And, quite frankly, I'm getting tired of this. You know that you want to be with Owen, so go be with Owen. You _should _go be with Owen. Let me know when that happens."

"Mer, I'm sorry." Cristina tucked her hair behind her ears and looked contrite. "Let's start this over. How are you?"

"I have bleeding nipples and Zola is being really clingy and Bailey was just about to fall asleep when you rang the doorbell." She paused. "Thank you for asking. You're welcome to stay in the spare room."

"I think the trailer would be quieter," Cristina said.

Meredith smiled slyly. "You're afraid that the cute baby is going to make you cave and move in with Owen. Admit it."

Cristina blinked and opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Finally she said, "He's not _that _cute."

"Do you really want to be out in the woods by yourself?" Meredith asked, meaningfully.

Cristina blinked. "Spare room it is."

oOoOo

"I don't feel like cooking, tonight," Owen told Ethan, as he drove them home the next night. "What do you say we eat out?"

"No!" Ethan exclaimed. "Um, I mean, I prefer eating at home."

Owen pulled out his phone and handed it over. "Why don't you order Chinese food then?"

The boy looked stymied for a few moments. "Blech. We, um, have leftover pizza?"

"Okay." Owen glanced at him curiously but drove on.

oOoOo

Cristina's phone buzzed as she sat down in her research lab. Callie's name was on the screen. She quickly answered. "Hey."

"Hey." Callie sounded tearful. "Oh God Cristina, I'm having a terrible day. I hate to call on you but I really need a favor from you."

"Callie, what is it?"

"I have a flat tire and I just need someone to pick me up. I know I could call a taxi but I'm such a mess and -"

"I'll do it," Cristina said. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the firehouse."

"What?"

"I was dropping something off for Ethan but they aren't here and I'm stuck outside," Callie said, in a rush. "Please come quickly."

"I'm on my way."

oOoOo

"... Something smells good," Owen said, as he entered the firehouse. He smelled the air and frowned.

"Sure does." Ethan smirked behind Owen's back.

"Don't come up!" Callie shouted from the next level. "I'm getting things ready!"

"What?" Owen tilted his head. "Callie, what are you doing here?"

"You'll see!"

"Hey!" Cristina appeared in the open door to the firehouse. "I thought you guys weren't here."

"We just got home." Owen looked confused. "Why are you here?"

"Callie called me because she has a flat tire." Cristina gestured to the street.

"Hello, hello!" Callie walked down the stairs, giddy with anticipation.

"What is going on?" Cristina pointed at Callie. "You called me, saying you were stranded here."

"I lied." Callie smiled broadly. "Owen and Cristina. You two need to talk, free of distractions. So I've cooked you a nice meal, which you are going to enjoy on the roof. I'll keep Ethan downstairs with Sofia and I."

Owen raised an eyebrow as Ethan snickered. "You were in on this, weren't you?"

"Yes!" He grinned. "I told Grandma Sarah about it and she ordered the dessert from her favorite bakery."

"I have work to do!" Cristina protested. "I'm starting a new clinical trial and I should be at the hospital."

Ethan's face fell and Cristina immediately felt guilty.

"It was my idea," Callie said. "Now it would be a shame to let some really good food go to waste. Go eat." And with that, she gestured to the stairs.

Owen and Cristina looked at each other.

"I didn't know anything about this," he informed her.

"I know," Cristina quietly acknowledged. She looked at Ethan again, who was avoiding eye contact. She sighed. "Ethan, it's okay. You meant well."

He looked up at her then and smiled slightly.

"Your appetizer is waiting for you," Callie said. "Shrimp ceviche in phyllo cups. Which I slaved over."

"Well I do appreciate ceviche," Cristina muttered, heading towards the stairs.

She shook her head when she saw the scene before them on the roof. A small table sat in the middle of the open area, decorated with lit candles and covered with food. A bottle of wine was chilling nearby, and music was playing from loudspeakers.

"The food looks good," Owen said. "Shall I pour?"

"Sure." Cristina sat down at the table and looked around. "At least it wasn't a flash mob."

Owen chuckled as he opened the bottle.

"I understand that your mother went home yesterday," she said. "I'm glad to hear that."

"She's feeling much better," he replied. "I've set up some meetings with specialists next week, I want to prevent this ever happening again."

"Tell her I send my best wishes," Cristina said. "She's a lovely lady."

"I will." Owen filled their glasses, then sat down. "How are you?"

"I'm all right." She raised her glass. "To ... your mother's health."

Owen smiled. "To her health."

oOoOo

"They weren't mad," Ethan told Sarah, over the phone. "Well, Cristina was, a little. But she went upstairs."

Callie tapped him on the shoulder. "Ethan, you're on."

"I want to hear all about it in the morning," Sarah said. "Go help Callie now."

"So I open the door and Leah is making out with some guy in my room!" Cristina gestured wildly, as Owen laughed. She paused as the door to the roof opened and Ethan peeked around it. "Hello."

"I'm here to get your plates," the boy said, walking over to their table. "Then Callie will bring you the next course and sing for you."

Owen raised his eyebrows, amused. "We get food and entertainment?"

"Uh huh." Ethan smiled hopefully. "Are you enjoying your meal?"

"The ceviche was very good," Cristina said, handing him her plate. "My compliments to the chef."

Ethan smiled, before leaving. She glanced at Owen, who was watching the boy go, wistfully. "He is a well-behaved boy," she acknowledged.

"He's stopped running," Owen said, softly. He looked at her. "I'm trying very hard not to ask what your thoughts are, about him."

"Thank you." They both looked towards the door again, as Callie emerged, carrying a tray.

"For your next course, we have steak with tequila mushroom sauce," she announced. "Something manly for Owen, and something alcoholic for the lady."

"Gimme," Cristina said.

Smirking, Callie placed the plates in front of them, then stepped back and changed the music. She strolled over and began to sing.

Owen kept stealing glances at Cristina while they ate. Neither of them were dressed for a romantic dinner, but she didn't need a special outfit to look beautiful. The candlelight was making her complexion glow and she was breathtaking. His body ached to take her to bed, and patience was difficult.

Meanwhile, Cristina was trying very hard to not let her eyes linger on Owen. He was wearing a blue shirt, the kind that brought out his eyes. Relaxed, smiling, the candles lighting up his face and hair ... she was aroused. She could easily envision ravishing him on the rooftop. She'd start by unbuttoning that shirt ...

Callie finished her song and Owen began to applaud, jolting Cristina out of her lascivious thoughts. She clapped too, as Callie curtseyed.

"I hope you're enjoying your meal," she said, eyes sparkling. She checked the level of the wine bottle and nodded approvingly.

"You're an interfering meddler and an excellent cook," Cristina told her.

"Agreed." Owen winked at Callie. She knew then at least one of her friends wouldn't be holding a grudge against her.

"I'll send Ethan up soon to get your plates," she told them, turning the music back on. "And ... I'm taking him home with me for the night and I'll bring him back in the morning."

Cristina looked unamused while Owen shifted uncomfortably. Callie smiled and left them to finish their course.

"So ... what happened when you found Leah in your room?" Owen asked.

"I moved in with Meredith and Derek." Cristina saw Owen stiffen. "What?"

He kept his eyes on his food. "You needed a new place to stay ... and you chose Meredith."

_Oh crap_. "Owen ..." She could sense him withdrawing, cooling off. "I'm sorry, I didn't think."

He said nothing. She knew that it was up to her to salvage the mood.

"It's ... not that I don't want to be with you ..." Cristina quietly confessed. "But we do want different things ..."

"And I think we can have them," he reminded her. "I'm only asking you to ... consider living with us. I'm the one parenting him."

"And I'd be your live-in girlfriend? I can't just ignore him."

"Then tell me how you think it could work." He glanced at her. "This is your opportunity to define your role, figure out how we can build a new life together."

She stared at him in disbelief. "When are you going to accept that I don't want to be a mom?"

"When are you going to understand that I'm not asking you to be one?" He stared back. "I am asking you to be a part of our lives. As the woman I love, and as Ethan's friend. You don't want to be a mom? Don't be one."

When Ethan went to the rooftop again, he was surprised to see the adults quiet and not looking at each other. Silently, he gathered up their plates and went back to the kitchen. "They're not talking," he reported to Callie.

She handed him a bottle of wine. "Take this up while I finish getting dessert ready."

Solemnly, he climbed the stairs once more, and handed the bottle to Owen. "Callie will be up soon."

Owen smiled at him. "Thank you. You've been very helpful tonight."

Ethan glanced at Cristina, who also smiled at him, but said nothing. He left.

Cristina thought about how natural Owen was with Ethan, and how lucky the boy was, to have Owen in his life. Her heart ached at the thought of a life without Owen.

Owen opened the next bottle and poured for both of them. He glanced at Cristina and was startled to see tears in her eyes. Gently, he placed a hand against her face, to catch her tears.

The sound of the door made them jump apart. "Here is dessert!" Callie produced two plates with chocolate cheesecake, drizzled with caramel and garnished with raspberries. She placed them on the table.

"Looks good," Owen said. "Thank you."

Callie glanced at Cristina, who was silent. "Okay, you two. I wanted to give you a chance to talk and eat good food, without interference. Stop looking like you're witnessing an execution."

"I know you meant well," Cristina said. "And the food is wonderful. Thank you for the effort."

"I need a happy ending," Callie said, softly. "I need you two to work things out and give me hope."

Owen reached out and grasped her hand. "You're going to be okay, Callie."

She weakly chuckled. "Have some more wine and dig into your dessert. I'm taking the kids to my place now."

"Wait." Cristina stood up and briskly embraced Callie. "You deserve someone who makes you happy. Chin up."

"Cristina Yang hugged me," Callie laughed. "Aw. Okay, enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Good night," Owen waved as he sat down across from Cristina. He looked at her, questioningly, before digging into the food.

"What?"

"I'm just wondering ..." Owen looked directly at her. "Do you think I'm trying to take a piece of you?"

Stunned, she put down her fork. "I ... think everyone is trying to take a piece of me."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Meredith, Callie, Alex ... everyone is telling me to just get back with you already."

"They just want us to be happy." He held her gaze. "I want that too."

"I don't want you to be unhappy." She took a bite. "Tell me about Ethan."

Owen's face relaxed. "He's doing really well in summer school, he'll be able to handle the next school year easily. He's having fun with the summer camps I found for him. I think he's happy, as happy as he can be under the circumstances. And he's been asking when you can spend time with him again."

"I only meant to spend the day with him, not the rest of my life," Cristina reminded him.

"I know," he acknowledged. "But you were really good at it."

She took another bite and thought hard about her next words. "What do you see, when you think of me living with you and Ethan?"

Owen paused. "I see ... us sharing our lives together. I see you perhaps sharing some knowledge with him, he's very bright, he loves to read, we watch a lot of science shows together. I see Ethan bringing out the fun side of you. You know, I've never seen you slide down the fire pole."

"I had other uses for it." Her skin was aflame as she recalled a few sensuous memories. So she changed the subject. "What do you two guys do together? Like, day to day?"

"I take him to school, I pick him up. We kick a soccer ball around a few parks." Owen grinned. "I wouldn't ask you to play with us, although you'd be welcome to."

"That will never happen." She played with her fork. "What do you do when you're at home? Do you sit around watching TV in your underwear?"

He chuckled. "We wear pants."

Cristina sighed. "Have you decided about the firehouse? My offer still stands."

He shook his head. "I can't live here without you."

Subdued, Cristina turned her attention back to the food.

When they were done, Owen began to pick up the plates. "Why don't you go inside? You look cold."

"I can help." Together they picked up the remnants of the dinner and brought everything inside.

Cristina lingered in the kitchen. There was so much unresolved between them and she was reluctant to leave.

"It's a chilly night, I'm going to start a fire." Owen went into the master bedroom and began working in the fireplace.

Cristina stood in the doorway and watched him. Despite everything that wasn't going right between them, she knew that she wanted him in her life. She couldn't deny the chemistry between them. She couldn't deny that he was her soulmate.

She turned and looked at the rest of the firehouse. It was sad to see how makeshift it looked. Owen clearly wasn't planning on staying there long, he hadn't put out any decorations. How they'd had fun there before, transforming the space so that it perfectly represented them ... Those days were ashes now.

Satisfied with his work, Owen stood up and turned around to face her. The softness in her face hit him like a ton of bricks. "What are you thinking?"

She felt like she was on the verge of tears. "I'm thinking that what we have together ... I'll never find elsewhere. Not in my work, not with someone else..."

Owen crossed the room and took her hands, leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you so damn much, Cristina."

"I do want a life with you," she said, voice quivering. "I just don't know how ..."

Softly, Owen began to nuzzle her neck. Cristina closed her eyes and leaned her head back. He took that as permission to sprinkle some kisses along her jawline, before claiming her mouth.

Ever so slowly, their kisses went from tender to torrid, as they began to lose themselves in each other. Her fingers found their way to the buttons of his shirt. His hands grasped her waist and pulled her closer, as her bra fell to the floor.

His mouth never left her skin, not as he tenderly placed her on the bed, nor when his fingers slid between her legs, or when she gasped his name out loud. After so much time apart, he wanted to savor every second with her, prolong their bliss as they reconnected. He didn't want to think about the future, he just wanted to stay in the now. Where they were free to express their love for each other with every touch and sigh.

Similarly, Cristina couldn't break contact with him, now that she had him in her arms again. She ran her fingers through his hair, nibbled on his collarbones, entwined his legs with hers. She loved that without saying a word, they were being open about their feelings, skin to skin. Every little action conveyed a thought, an emotion. Over and over, they were expressing their love.

As they laid together in the afterglow, holding hands, Cristina could feel her inner conflicts returning. How could she ever live apart from Owen? How could she live with Owen, in the present circumstances? Despite his assurances, she felt that she would be taking on a role she never wanted. She waited until his breathing indicated he was asleep, before sitting up and reaching for her clothes.

Owen opened his eyes and saw that she was getting dressed. He knew that if he spoke, he'd shatter the love spell that they had just woven around each other. He had to let her find her way back to him. So he watched, silently.

Cristina turned to look at him one more time and her heart sank to see he was awake. He held her gaze, blue eyes blazing with emotion, until she couldn't bear it and turned away. Hastily, she left the room and went down the stairs.

Beside the front door was a soccer ball. Cristina picked it up, and held it. She turned it around in her hands, noticing that it was a little scruffy. Owen must have bought it recently.

She stood there, contemplating the ball for a few minutes. She imagined what it would be like, to live here again, with Ethan. She could see him running up the stairs, then sliding down the pole. She could see him sitting at the supper table, telling a joke. She could see them sitting on the couch. She'd be snuggled against Owen, and he'd have his other arm around Ethan. She could see Ethan turning to her, with a big smile on his face. She remembered his face lighting up, when he saw her standing in the doorway, earlier in the week.

Cristina contemplated the ball one last time. Then she put it down and left the firehouse.

oOoOo

In the morning light, Owen slowly picked up items in the living room, cleaning up. He sighed. Soon, he'd have to start finding a new place to live. Ethan would be crushed, and he dreaded that. But his heart was breaking, every night without Cristina.

When he heard the front door open, he waited to hear Ethan's voice. The only sounds were footsteps on the stairs.

"Good morning," he said, his back to the stairs. "Did you have a good time with Callie?"

"Yes," Cristina said. "She's a damn good cook."

Owen whirled around, mouth falling open in shock. Cristina was standing in front of him. She dumped the purple duvet and a bag beside her feet.

"What ... what are you doing?" Owen frowned. Was she returning some of his possessions? He couldn't let himself believe that this was going somewhere good.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cristina replied. "You said that you can't live here without me ... so I'm moving in."

Owen's face lit up as he reached out and pulled her into his arms. He gave her a heartfelt and prolonged kiss, holding her tight.

Cristina melded her body against his, clinging to him. Owen was her rock, while she was taking a giant leap of faith into an unknown future.

They finally broke apart for air, still holding onto each other.

"Thank you," Owen gasped. "_Thank you. _God, I love you."

"We need to talk," Cristina said, quickly kissing him again. "I'm going to put surgery before stuff like soccer games or field trips. And I'm not driving a mini-van. _Ever_. Those are my first rules."

"I can do all of the soccer and school stuff," Owen chuckled, before kissing her again. "And I prefer my truck."

"I will pick him up from school on an emergency basis and I will be available to help with homework and school projects. I'm a double doctor, after all." Her eyes glowed. "Think of the awards he could win in science fairs."

"_Thank you_." His hands cupped her face while his eyes glowed with gratitude. "Thank you for – for everything."

"Hello?" They heard Callie call from downstairs and grinned at each other.

"Come on up!" Cristina yelled.

Ethan ran up the stairs first. His freckled face broke into a broad smile, seeing them together. Callie beamed and put Sofia down on the floor, so she could wipe the happy tears from her eyes.

"Cristina is moving in with us," Owen told Ethan.

"Yes!" His face lit up and he did a fist pump.

"I've never seen him look that happy," Owen murmured to Cristina.

She turned to face the boy. "I don't know anything about living with an eleven year old boy ... but I'm willing to learn."

"I'll show you," he offered. "And I'm pretty good at picking up after myself."

"I don't want you to call me 'Mom'," Cristina continued. "I'm just not into that."

"Then I'll call you 'Cristina'," Ethan promised. "I have a mom."

She smiled, tentatively. "I know you do."

"Oh my God you guys," Callie wept, fluttering her hands. "You are _killing _me with the cute."

"You have yourself to blame." Owen walked over and enveloped Callie in a bear hug. "_Thank you_, Callie. You are the bestest friend I could ever ask for."

"Thank you!" Ethan joined in, wrapping his arms around Callie's waist.

Cristina held her hands up in front of her. "I don't do group hugs."

"That's okay," Callie laughed, stepping back. "You being here is good enough for me."

"We're not going to forget you," Owen assured Callie. "We're still here for you."

"Yes," Cristina affirmed.

"And I will still help you," Callie said. "We got a good thing going on."

"We sure do." Owen looked at Cristina, still hardly believing what was happening.

Callie sensed the deeper meaning. "So! I'm going to take Sofia now because I'm sure you guys have a lot to _talk _about."

"Thanks again." Ethan spontaneously hugged her one more time.

"Thanks for helping me pull off last night." She rumpled his hair before picking up Sofia and departing.

"So..." Cristina looked at Owen again. She wanted nothing more than to pull him into the bedroom and commit her body and soul to him. But there was a boy standing between them.

Owen was of the same mind. "Hey," he said to Ethan. "Why don't you go into your room and unpack your bag and play some games on your phone?"

The boy smirked and spoke in a singsong voice. "You're going to _kiss_her, because you _love_her-"

"Stop." Cristina looked a little appalled. "New rule – you don't do _that_ever again."

"Sorry," Ethan grinned.

"Go to your room," Owen laughed, eyes on Cristina. He felt electrified.

Ethan scrunched up his face. "Can I call Grandma Sarah and tell her Cristina is moving in?"

"Sure," Owen said. "But do it _in your room_."

"I'm going!" Beaming, Ethan sprinted away from them and into his bedroom.

His blue eyes blazing with emotion, Owen took Cristina by hand, tugging her into the bedroom. They quickly slid the door shut, before he kissed Cristina again. Their mouths met hungrily, as he pressed her up against the door. They lost themselves in the sensations of lips and tongues and teeth crashing together. Cristina wrapped her legs around Owen's waist as her hands grabbed his t-shirt.

When they broke contact to breathe, Owen was grinning quite foolishly. "So that's a 'yes'?"

"It is." She smiled, hardly believing what she was committing to. "I have no idea of how this is going to work out ... but damn it, I have to be with you. So let's try. One last time."

"This time is forever," he vowed, before kissing her again. "Because you are never walking away from me again."

_"White Coat Syndrome" is dangerous, because a doctor may mistake a temporary rise in blood pressure for long-term hypertension, and over-medicate the patient. One tried and true method is to engage the patient in conversation, build a rapport, then take their blood pressure a second time. Once the patient can see the human being behind the doctor, you can better assess their condition. And the negativity surrounding the label "doctor", vanishes._

**This chapter written by angelamermaid.**

Author's note - this is not the end! Stay tuned as we watch Owen, Cristina and Ethan form a new life together! The season finale will be posted on August 29.  
Lyrics included version posted at In the After.


	6. Chapter 6 The Promise

_We often imagine our lives going in the forward direction, with moments marked on an imaginary chronological line. Beginning at birth and ending at death. And maybe, in the arching scope of what it means to grow and age, this is true. But within the span of time between, what we more often feel is a repeating pattern. Each morning, we wake. Each night, we sleep. It's a cycle. Days, months, years - these are all their own cycles of beginnings and ends. And sometimes while we can stray incredibly far from where we started, we almost always are drawn right back._

As Owen opened the door to the firehouse, he heard Ethan's voice through the hole to the second floor.

"Come on, Cristina," the boy said. "It's fun!"

"Hello!" Owen walked over to the pole and looked up. To his surprise, Cristina was standing by the hole, her hands on the pole. "What're you doing?"

Ethan leaned over and smirked. "She lost a bet so she has to slide down."

"I didn't _lose_," Cristina protested. "I just ... came in second place."

"But I was in first place," the boy pointed out. "Second place isn't winning."

Owen chuckled. "What were you playing?"

"Mario Kart."

"It's a stupid game," Cristina muttered, still clinging to the pole. "Who races through a mine? And a ski resort?"

Owen held out his hands. "I'll catch you."

She looked down at him, warily.

"You can trust me." His arms remained spread out.

Tentatively, Cristina extended one leg and wrapped it around the pole.

"See, it's easy," Ethan said, encouragingly.

Cristina sighed. "If I break something, please take me to Seattle Presbyterian, or Tacoma Methodist. Any place but Grey-Sloan Memorial."

"I promise." Owen smiled up at her. "But I know that you're tough and you'll land okay."

"I bet once you do it, you'll go down again," Ethan said. "In fact, I bet you'll go down the fastest."

She turned and glared at him. "The next time we make a bet, it will be something that I like to do. Not racing through a mall."

"I'm still waiting," Owen called up to her.

Cristina looked down at him. He was smiling with anticipation. She flashed back to the first time that she ever saw him smile like that, in the boiler room."_Just wait."_

Gritting her teeth, she lifted her other leg so that all of her weight was now supported by the tight hold she had on the pole.

Ethan cheered as Cristina tentatively loosened her grip, and dropped two feet. Panicked, she clung to the pole again, slowing her descent.

"You're doing great," Owen said.

Wincing, Cristina slowly relaxed her hold on the pole, sliding down faster. She felt Owen grasp her waist, steadying her as her feet touched the ground.

Laughing, she turned around. "I did it!"

"You did!" He kissed her, proudly.

"Wahoo!" They looked up to see Ethan motioning them away from the pole. "My turn!"

The adults stepped back and watched as Ethan slid down the pole, then bounced away.

"Want to do it again?" He asked Cristina.

"Okay..." Her expression turned sly. "Or - I bet I can eat more hot dogs than you at supper."

Ethan wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "I've seen how you eat. I pass."

"Then I am the reigning hot dog eating champion of the firehouse!" Cristina raised her arms in victory.

"And I'm the reigning Mario Kart champion!" Ethan lifted his arms, mimicking Cristina.

"And I have the highest score in Temple Run 2," Owen reminded them.

"Whatever," Cristina retorted.

"Not for long," Ethan added, high-fiving Cristina.

"Let's go down the pole again," she said to Ethan. "Race you!"

Laughing, Ethan followed Cristina to the stairs, and they both sprinted up. Owen savored the sight of them having fun together for a moment - before he ran to the stairs to join in.

* * *

"I realize this is a costume party, but I thought we were going keep things simple. A lot of people from work will be there. Interns will be there."

"Exactly! It's a chance for them to see an entirely different side of you. A less serious side."

"There's nothing wrong with being viewed as professional."

"Agreed. But you can be intimidating sometimes. Now's your chance to let your hair down a little. C'mon! You know you want to..."

"Themed Halloween costumes? Really? I thought I'd just wear some scrubs and go as a surgeon."

"You can't go as a surgeon when you are a surgeon. It says right on the invitation: 'Fanciful Themed Costumes Encouraged.' Plus, what about Ethan? He's so excited. Do you want to disappoint him?"

There was a long pause. "That's a low blow. Fine. We'll wear non-medical, themed Halloween costumes. But, first, answer me one question. Who are you and what have you done with Cristina Yang?"

Cristina laughed and made a face. "It's going to be fun. You'll see. Plus, there are prizes."

"Ah ha!" Owen said, triumphantly. "I knew there was more to it. You want to win!"

"Of course I do. I always want to win. And I especially want to beat Meredith and Derek."

"That seems rude, given that they're the hosts," Owen chuckled.

Cristina rolled her eyes. "Whatever. They're going as The Incredibles, which is a pretty good idea, I admit. But our costumes will be even better."

"And what are our costumes? I'm afraid to ask," Owen said, warily. "Please keep in mind that I'm the Chief of Surgery..."

"Ethan is Luke Skywalker, you're Han Solo, and I'm Princess Leia," Cristina replied. "Bad ass, right?"

"Very. Excellent choice. Not inappropriate at all. Wait..." He suddenly had a thought. "Does this mean you'll be wearing a gold bikini?"

She gave him a Cheshire grin. "Maybe..." Owen's brow was furrowed. "What? It's amazing."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm not sure how I feel about the entire hospital seeing you in it..."

Cristina walked over and put her arms around Owen's waist. "Please. It's not my first rodeo. The white dress and cinnamon-bun hair is for the party. The gold bikini is only for you. We'll call it the After Party." She smiled provocatively. "You like that better?"

"Much better." He took her in his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips. "In that case I'm all in..." he replied, nuzzling her neck as his hands began to roam.

"I'm counting on it..."

* * *

It was official. Cristina Yang was a rock star.

As the dismissal bell rang, she was swarmed by a mob of middle school children each one exclaiming more loudly and enthusiastically than the next that this had been the best Career Day visit ever.

"So freakin' cool!"

"That was amazing!"

"Wait 'til I tell my dad that I learned how to cut someone's chest open today!"

"Sweet!"

Cristina felt an overwhelming satisfaction as the kids poured into the hallway, enjoying her moment of triumph.

Her presentation had been a resounding success. More importantly, she felt confident that the students had gotten a glimpse of how glorious it was to be a cardiothoracic surgeon. Mission accomplished.

Ethan was grinning from ear to ear as he approached her. "You were awesome, Cristina. Thanks."

"No problem. I was happy to do it." And, to her surprise, Cristina realized that she meant it. It had been a fun afternoon. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." He stopped suddenly. "Wait...I think I left my sweatshirt in the gym. I'll be right back."

"Okay," she replied. "I'll wait in the hall. I'm sure Mrs. Anderson wants to get out of here."

At the mention of her name, Ethan's teacher looked up from her desk and said, "No hurry at all. I'll be awhile finishing up." She watched Ethan trot out of the door and down the hall and then added, "I can't thank you enough for coming today, Dr. Yang. You were the hit of the week. Those children were captivated. And when you brought out the plastic knives and the slices of bread to show them how to cut open a chest cavity? Inspired. I'm impressed. It's clear why Ethan thinks so highly of you."

Cristina tilted her head. "Sorry? I don't quite follow."

"You seem surprised," Mrs. Anderson said. "But Ethan absolutely adores you. Have you seen the poem he wrote?"

Cristina shook her head. "No...I don't remember a poem..."

"Ah, well now that I think about it, he said something about not wanting you to see it until it was finished. I'll be sending them home next week, but why don't you check out the display on the wall in the hallway? You'll find yours immediately," she added cryptically. "You know, Ethan is an exceptionally gifted writer, especially for someone so young. It's a talent that should be cultivated. Perhaps a creative writing course over the summer?"

"Yeah, we can certainly consider that," Cristina answered distractedly. Her curiosity was aroused. "Where is the display exactly?"

"Just outside the door to the right. You can't miss it."

Cristina walked out into the hallway and turned. As promised there was a large display of acrostic poetry on the wall, each poem mounted on pastel construction paper and bearing the title, "My MOTHER." But, sure enough, amongst the sea of blue, lavender, yellow, pink, and green was one lone poem mounted, instead, on bright red paper...a beacon of crimson titled, "My CRISTINA."

Cristina stepped closer to read it.

_My CRISTINA_

Cristina Yang is not my mother. She is a

_**C**__ardio goddess who is_

_**R**__eally, really smart and really, really funny. Owen says she has an_

_**I**__ntuition in the OR that makes her a world class surgeon, one of the best he's ever seen. She_

_**S**__tinks at video games but she plays them anyway because she wants to win at everything and it makes her crazy that a video game could get the best of her. But she also plays them because I like them. And she likes me. We watch_

_**T**__elevision together sometimes. She_

_**I**__s my Sci-Fi buddy. We are watching all of the episodes of all the STAR TREK shows in order, which is a really big project, especially if you include the movies. But we are up to the task. Cristina Yang has_

_**N**__ever cooked a meal in her life. She has_

_**A**__ll of the good take out places on speed dial. I like Thai food the best._

Cristina Yang is not my mother. But she is my friend. And she is my family.

By Ethan Dawson

"Do you like it?"

Cristina jumped and turned to face Ethan who was by her side, sweatshirt in hand.

"You scared me! I didn't hear you," she exclaimed, gathering herself. "I guess because I was so absorbed in my reading," she added.

Ethan smiled shyly. "So you like it? I wrote it...as a present for you."

"Ethan," Cristina said sincerely, "I like it very much. I think that's one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever given me. Thank you."

He beamed. "You're welcome."

"I was thinking," Cristina continued, "if it's okay with you, I'd like to frame it and find a place to put it at the firehouse. What do you think?"

"It's okay with me." That was clearly an understatement as he couldn't have looked more pleased.

"Good. You know, Mrs. Anderson thinks you're a really gifted writer and I agree. That's a talent you should consider developing. She mentioned a creative writing class you could take over the summer."

Ethan thought for a moment. "That sounds kind of cool. Maybe."

"Fair enough. We'll talk to Owen about it. See what he thi

nks. Ready to go home?"

"Yep," he said, picking up his backpack and lunchbox.

"Okay. Let's roll," Cristina said as they walked down the hallway side by side.

* * *

The singing had stopped and it was time for Owen Hunt to make a wish.

His birthday cake, chocolate with butter cream frosting, was ablaze with candles, resplendent upon a silver tray garnished with raspberries. Callie had outdone herself.

He surveyed the people surrounding him. Everyone he loved most in the world was in this room.

Sarah was beaming at him with a mixture of love and pride. Ethan grinned enthusiastically, all freckles and braces, camera in his hand, ready to capture the scene for posterity.

Callie stood with Sofia on her hip, enjoying the moment. They were both wearing party hats and blowing on noise-makers as they made faces at each other.

And finally there was Cristina.

The woman he loved.

The woman who was his world.

The woman who took his breath away.

She had picked out a new dress for the occasion. Red. Lacy on top with a full skirt. Ravishing.

He loved watching her. He could look at her forever. His eyes savored every curve of her body, before resting on her face. Exquisite. Alabaster skin framed by ebony curls. A study in contradictions.

His Cristina.

So brilliant. So headstrong. So prickly. So loyal. So loving. So generous. So sexy.

His Cristina.

Later, when they were alone, he would show her just how beautiful she was to him.

And how very much he loved her. Every part of her: mind, body, and soul.

Their eyes met and she lit up, threw her head back, and laughed, giving him a sly wink.

How do I make a wish, he mused, when all of my wishes have already come true?

But they were waiting for him, expectantly, as the candles illuminated his face.

So Owen Hunt offered a silent prayer of grateful thanks, closed his eyes, and blew.

* * *

Owen stood up and cheered with the crowd, as another goal was scored in the game. He grinned, watching Ethan run up and celebrate with his teammates.

"Hey." Cristina tapped him on his shoulder. "What's the score?"

Surprised, Owen replied, "3-3. Are – are you lost?"

She smirked and sat down next to him, handing him a coffee. "_No_. I thought that since this is the championship game, I'd show up and see what soccer is all about. Callie just dropped me off."

He kissed her. "Thank you."

Cristina gestured to the field. "Why is Ethan over there and not in front?"

"He's playing left defender, he's really good at it."

"Does he get to score goals from back there?"

"Not much. He's been blocking – YES!" Owen stood up again and cheered as Ethan performed a slide tackle, allowing a teammate to steal the ball and head towards the opposing team's net. Cristina put down her coffee and clapped.

Exhilarated, Owen sat down again. "Did you see that? He pulled that off without a foul. Amazing."

"If you say so." Cristina frowned as the whistle was blown. "What does that mean?"

"It's the end of the third quarter."

Ethan ran over to them, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you see my slide tackle, Owen?"

"Yes!" Owen pulled him into a hug. "Well done!"

"Hi Cristina!" The boy grabbed his water bottle and drank from it. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to show up for your big game," she smiled. "Nice ... tackle. No foul ball. Good work."

"Foul balls are in baseball," Owen chuckled. "I'll teach you all about soccer in the last quarter."

By the end of the game, Cristina was cheering along with Owen, when Ethan's team took to the field in victory. She pulled out her phone and took a photo of the boy holding the championship trophy, and being hugged by a proud Owen. Then she texted the photos to Callie.

"So did you have fun?" Ethan asked her, as they walked towards Owen's truck.

"Yes," she assured him. "I'm glad I got to see your team win the cup."

"Do you think you'll come to my games next year?"

Cristina paused. "I'll ... try to come to the important games. Like the playoffs. And if your team makes it to the championship game, I will definitely clear my schedule for that. Okay?"

"Okay!" He grinned at her, before climbing into the back seat of the cab. She settled herself beside Owen.

Owen leaned over and kissed her. "You're welcome to practice with us in the off-season." His eyes twinkled playfully.

"Not a chance." She kissed him back. "Surgery before soccer, remember?"

He nodded, silently acknowledging her desire to never be a soccer mom. "I'm glad you came for this game."

"Me too. Now let's go get some pizza."

* * *

When Cristina came home from work, she found a row of lit votive candles, leading to the stairway to the upper levels of the firehouse. Smiling, she followed the candles up to the roof, where Owen was waiting. He was seated at their small table, with a bottle of wine chilling beside a pizza box.

"Well hello," she purred, leaning in for a kiss. "What are we celebrating?"

"A whole year of living together," he murmured, before opening the bottle and pouring the wine. He held up his glass. "To the future."

"To the future," Cristina agreed, holding up her glass. Then she sat down and started digging into the pizza. "Have you spoken with Ethan today?"

"Yes, he's having a good time with Nancy." Owen took a bite. "You know ... I was speaking with a new doctor today, trying to explain our situation ..."

"Oh?" Cristina swallowed.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Here I am, living with my foster son and my ex-wife. We're not the average household."

She glanced at him. "Are you thinking of adopting Ethan?"

Owen shook his head. "I've talked about it a bit with him ... he wants to keep his ties to Paul and Rachel. Being adopted would mean not being their son any more."

"Makes sense." She sat back and sipped some more wine. "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm good. I'm very grateful that I can be his foster father and guardian, and I don't need more."

Cristina smiled at him and took his hand.

"I was thinking ..." Owen squeezed her hand. "Would you like to be ... not divorced?"

Cristina's eyes widened as she looked at Owen. Her mind began to race – the last year had been one of adjustment and compromises, as they figured out their own needs and requirements while living together as three people. She and Owen had never been closer, as they'd finally learned how to communicate their feelings and wishes while staying committed to each other. Sure, there had been conflict, and there would always be disagreement. But he was very careful to respect her wishes in regards to their living situation, and he was her biggest supporter, career-wise. She'd never been happier in her life.

He mistook her silence for hesitation. "Think about it, and know that I'm not asking you to become his foster mother-"

"Yes," Cristina said. "_Yes_, I would like to be 'not divorced'."

The wine glasses were scattered to the ground, as Owen lunged at Cristina, gathering her up in his arms as she grabbed his face and they kissed, caught up in the passion and joy singing through their veins.

A month later, they stood on the same roof, holding hands and facing Miranda Bailey, their marriage officiant.

Cristina smiled as she looked at Owen. She'd picked out his tie, a brilliant blue one that brought out his eyes. He was looking very handsome, and she could hardly wait for their guests to leave so they could have their private celebration.

But more than that ... she knew in her heart that Owen was her soulmate, her person, and she was infinitely grateful that they'd made their way back to each other. Reaffirming their commitment and love was the natural thing to do.

Owen squeezed Cristina's hands, indescribably happy to be standing there with her, in their home environment, with their family and friends witnessing the ceremony. Her hair was up, with a few dark tendrils caressing that lovely neck of hers. She wore a lavender sheath and she was breathtaking.

The life they lived now was big, and he was cherishing every moment of it. Owen glanced at Ethan, standing behind them, taking his duty as ring-bearer very seriously. He caught Ethan's eye and the boy's face broke into a huge smile. Becoming a father had been a challenge and a blessing, and Owen looked forward to more years of guiding Ethan into manhood.

Owen's eyes went back to his bride. He was deeply humbled that she would go so far out of her comfort zone to live with him and Ethan, and he strove to let her know every day that he appreciated what she had done. They were poised to have forty incredible years, and more.

Callie stood by Owen's side, his Best Woman. She smiled broadly as Ethan solemnly gave Owen the ring that he would slide onto Cristina's finger. Callie's eyes went to Sofia and Zola, the two flower girls standing by, watching the ceremony with wide eyes. She silently thanked her higher power for the friends who were standing by her, as she continued to forge a new life as a single mother.

Also checking on the flower girls was the Matron of Honor, Meredith. She happily watched Ethan place a ring in Cristina's hand, then she smiled softly, watching Cristina recommit herself to the man she was meant to be with. Meredith quickly looked at her son, sleeping in Derek's arms as he sat nearby, before turning her full attention to the ceremony once more.

His duties fulfilled, Ethan stepped back and listened. Watching him nearby, Nancy beamed proudly, while Sarah dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Beside them, Helen stood and smiled lovingly as Cristina made the last of her vows to Owen.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Bailey declared. "You may kiss the bride."

Owen gazed upon Cristina, who was glowing with joy. Tenderly, he cupped her face with his hands, pressing his lips against hers to seal his promise of loving her and cherishing her forever.

Cristina closed her eyes, surrendering to the joy of their renewed covenant. With her kisses, she affirmed her promise that they would stay together for the rest of their years, come what may.

The small audience whooped and hollered. Laughing, Cristina and Owen leaned against each other, soaking in the love and affection of everyone gathered. Owen reached out and pulled Ethan in with one arm, his other arm holding Cristina close. She bent down and kissed Ethan's cheek, causing the boy to blush bright red, smiling bashfully.

The three of them stood close together, connected, sharing the same space. They were bathed in the ruddy hues of the setting sun.

"Hmm." Cristina looked at Owen, thoughtfully.

"What?"

She smiled, running a finger along his cheekbone. "The way the sun lights up your hair ... you look bathed in flames. Like you're a phoenix, reborn."

"I'm not the only one." He kissed her. "We've built a new life together."

"A good life," Cristina murmured.

Ethan simply smiled up at them. Owen grasped the boy's shoulder, silently acknowledging his son's own rebirth out of fire.

With a whoop, Callie opened a bottle of champagne, laughing as the liquid bubbled out.

"And now we celebrate," Cristina said. "Come on. We're going to have a great time."

_That's the funny thing about cycles or beginnings and ends. There are so many that occur within this wondrous miracle that we call life. Every second is the beginning of one thing and the ending of another. After all, we humans are creatures of habit and repetition. So, this lulling rhythm - the ebb and flow - provides us with a constant reminder that we can always start anew. Not from scratch, mind you, but nor should we want it to be. No, we hope instead to build upon past cycles that can launch us into the next one. Then the next, then the next._

**Written with love to the fangirls by angelamermaid, lovemesomeowen and shli**


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